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“I want to see me getting my joy back playing basketball. Wherever that may be.”
With that postgame comment Thursday, Miami’s Jimmy Butler all but confirmed a report that he has asked the Heat for a trade, a story broken by Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
Six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler has indicated to the Miami Heat he wants the team to trade him, league sources told ESPN. Butler does not plan to furnish the Heat with a list of favored destinations, sources told ESPN. He is open to playing anywhere other than Miami and believes he can make any team a contender — no matter where he is moved. He does plan to take part in all team activities and do whatever the Heat ask of him during this process, sources said.
Butler’s postgame comments echoed that sentiment.
“I want to see me getting my joy back playing basketball. Wherever that may be, we’ll find out here pretty soon,” Butler said. “I’m happy here off the court, but I want to be back to somewhat dominant, I want to hoop and I want to help this team win, and right now I’m not doing it.”
When asked if he can get his joy back on the court with the Heat, Butler responded: “Probably not.”
Butler trade rumors have been flying around the NBA since he didn’t get a contract extension with the Heat last summer (while Bam Adebayo did at three years, $165.8 million). The rumors reached the point that Heat President Pat Riley tried to squash them.
Statement from Pat Riley
“We usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches. Therefore, we will make it clear – We are not trading Jimmy Butler.”
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 26, 2024
That did not stop the speculation, although the vibe among league executives at the NBA’s G-League Showcase last month was that it might be summer before Butler was traded, just because a deal that would satisfy Miami is hard to construct. Because Miami is already over the first apron of the luxury tax, it is not allowed to take back $1 more in a trade than it sends out — and most of the teams interested in Butler are in the same situation. Any…
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Author : NBC Sports
Publish date : 2025-01-03 05:54:00
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