Gambling Website Favors Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler Rejoining Joel Embiid With Philadelphia 76ers

Last summer the Miami Heat had a drama-filled offseason because of the failed Damian Lillard trade situation.

This year, there could even be more chaos after the recent dust-up between team president Pat Riley and superstar Jimmy Butler. The possibility of Butler leaving has reach so high that one gambling website is already projecting if he will play elsewhere next season.

Bovada.com listed the Philadelphia 76ers as the favorite to land Butler if he’s no longer a member of the Heat. The odds were a +200 for the Sixers, ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans, Brooklyn Nets and San Antonio Spurs.

The Heat’s relationship with Butler appeared in good-standing until Monday. That’s when Riley addressed a few issues surrounding Butler. At his annual offseason press conference, Riley said Butler was out of line for comments he made regarding the Heat defeating the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks in the playoffs if he were healthy.

Riley said, “For him to say that, I thought ‘Is that Jimmy trolling or is that Jimmy serious? If you’re not on the court playing against Boston or on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut and your criticism of those teams.”

After making the conference finals in 2022 and the NBA Finals last year, the Heat were defeated 4-1 by the Celtics in the first round with Butler sidelined because of a knee injury. Despite two Finals appearances since 2020 with Butler, some are questioning whether he is capable of leading the Heat to a championship.

Still, Riley said he remains confident in Butler as a primary player.

“Yes, but just like anyone else, he may need to make some changes in his overload routine,” Riley said.