Jimmy Butler’s off-the-court drama is not limited to swirling trade rumors.
The Heat star is in the middle of a paternity battle with his ex, Kaitlin Nowak, over their three children, Rylee, 5, Brayan, 2, and Kian, 1, according to court documents viewed by The Post.
Butler, 35, who’s currently on the trade block in Miami, filed a court motion requesting relief from a prior custody agreement in Nov. 2023 — when they established joint custody and agreed that Butler would pay Nowak $10,000 per month on a “temporary basis” for a nanny, according to the DailyMail.
In the newly filed motion, Butler states that circumstances have changed in their time-sharing agreement and that there is no need for a nanny, especially with Rylee going to school later this year and Brayan being enrolled in preschool or childcare.
Butler says he pays $55,000 to Nowak in monthly child support, and that she is “unemployed and refuses to seek employment.”
The documents state that they had a prior mediation, but Nowak insists Butler pays for a nanny “on top of the tremendous amount of child support he is paying.”
“If Mother is claiming that she cannot afford a nanny despite the child support she receives (which exceeds even the maximum that these children possibly could need), Father is entitled to an accounting of Mother’s use of the funds and, potentially, for the appointment of a guardian ad litem to oversee the expenditures,’ the motion states.
Butler is set to earn $49 million this year after signing a four-year contract extension, worth $184 million in 2021.
Their 2023 agreement was confidential and sealed.
Butler’s lawyer Brian Karpf said in a statement to The Daily Mail, “Child support is intended for the benefit of the children and only the children. There is no justification of additional expenses here.”
Karpf added that Butler is “a good dad” who “remains committed to the care and wellbeing of his children.”
Nowak’s attorney Paul Leinoff said his client will respond to Butler’s motion in her own court filing.
Butler and Nowak reportedly started dating in 2019, but never went public with their relationship.
The legal papers also note that the couple was never married.
“Mother is not entitled to live as if she is married to a National Basketball Association (NBA) player,” it states.
Butler, who is private about his personal life, has yet to publicly address the situation.
Their kids were featured in the 2024 Netflix documentary, “Starting 5,” a series that followed Butler, Anthony Edwards, LeBron James, Domantas Sabonis and Jayson Tatum throughout the 2023-24 NBA season.
On the court, the six-time NBA All-Star has made it clear he wants out of Miami ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
Butler is currently serving a seven-game suspension from the Heat for conduct detrimental to the team.
In a video posted Thursday to his Instagram Story, Butler seemed to take a shot at Heat president Pat Riley while at his Big Face Coffee shop in Miami’s Design District.
“This is our best guy right here,” Butler said as he patted a Big Face Coffee employee on the back. “You see that? I gave you a compliment — that’s what bosses do. We build you up, we don’t break you down.”
Butler smiled and gave a thumbs up to the camera after that.
