Jimmy Butler Sparks Lakers Chatter With Courtside Comment

Getty Jimmy Butler

Courtside at a Los Angeles Sparks game, Jimmy Butler was asked by sideline reporter Nikki Kay about rookie Cameron Brink who, like the six-time NBA All-Star, wears number 22.

“For some reason, (No.) 22 just looks good in purple and gold,” Butler told Kay on June 7.

Seemingly no comment from the Miami Heat star can go ignored, as his future with the team is up in the air amidst extension talks. Was this also a subtle message to the Los Angeles Lakers front office?

Some fans on X (formerly Twitter) were quick to interpret Butler’s remark as more than a passing comment.

“Nothing to see here!” wrote Lakers writer Matthew Peralta.

Another user responded with a GIF of a cheering Michael Jordan, writing “Butler Bron and AD big 3 with Phil Jackson 2.0.”

Butler is under contract through next season, with a player option for 2025-2026, making him extension-eligible this summer.

If a deal can’t be struck, the Heat could look to trade the 34-year-old before he enters free agency in 2026.

He averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 60 appearances with the Heat in 2023-24.

If he were made available, many teams would likely explore acquiring the star forward.

Including the Lakers.

Pat Riley: Heat ‘Haven’t Made a Decision’ on Jimmy Butler Extension

In his end-of-season press conference, Pat Riley wasn’t his usual optimistic self regarding Butler’s future in Miami.

“We don’t have to do that for a year,” Riley said on May 6. “And so, we have not discussed that internally right now, but we have to look at that, making that kind of commitment.”

Butler has been Miami’s nucleus since arriving in 2019. The team is 227-164 with two NBA Finals appearances since.

After five years with the Heat, this would represent the first time Miami hasn’t jumped on the opportunity to put him under team control long-term.

“We haven’t made a decision on it,” Riley said. “And we really haven’t really in earnest, discussed it. So we’ll just see what happens.”

What Could Lakers Trade for Butler?

Butler is set to make $48 million next season. That’s not exactly a feasible number for Los Angeles to reach in outgoing salary.

A package involving Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura would be a starting point. It would also take renouncing D’Angelo Russell‘s free agent cap hold, once (and if) he declines his player option.

Any sign-and-trade deal featuring Russell to Miami wouldn’t be enough, as he would be restricted as the only outgoing player, and won’t make nearly as much as Butler.

Hachimura, Vanderbilt, Vincent and a bevy of first-round picks would be the best the Lakers could do — unless they’re willing to include standout guard Austin Reaves in a potential deal.

The numbers are funky. As is the likelihood of Riley doing a deal with Los Angeles.

But if Butler were to demand a trade, and list the Lakers as the only team he’d sign an extension with, the Heat could find themselves between a rock and a hard place.

Los Angeles will show interest if Butler becomes available. That much is inarguable.

But whether or not the Lakers have the means to pull off a deal for Butler is unclear, and frankly, improbable.

Then again, a trade for Anthony Davis seemed improbable at one point too.