Jimmy Butler returned to practice with the Miami Heat on Tuesday after missing the team’s last five games. His presence was also the first time reporters were able to speak with him following an ESPN report on Christmas Day that he prefers to be traded before the NBA trade deadline in February.
After practice, Butler neither confirmed nor denied that he wants to leave the Heat 16-14 after parts of six seasons in Miami.
“Does it matter? Does it matter?” Butler responded when asked if he prefers to be traded. “Honestly, I don’t care if I get traded, where I’m supposed to go, who says what… That’s all out of my control anyway. .”
Heat president Pat Riley issued a statement a day after the ESPN report emphatically denying that the team would trade the 35-year-old Butler.
Butler was asked if he would be happy to remain with the Heat for the rest of this season.
“I don’t know,” Butler said. “We’ll see. Only time will tell. I can’t tell you what’s going to happen tomorrow. I appreciate the statement. But at the end of the day this is a business. I won’t have any hard feelings either way.”
Would it be better for Butler and the Heat if he stayed or moved ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline?
“I don’t know. I don’t know. That’s up to Pat (Riley),” Butler said. “He will do what’s best for the organization as it should be. And as long as he’s happy. And right now I’m happy. I’m in a good space. I have my kids here. I’m healthy. I’m smiling. I promise you I’m happy.”
Amid discussion about his future, Butler said he is ready to return to the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Butler’s future in Miami will be a topic of discussion until there is a trade or he expresses his desire to remain with the franchise. When asked if he wants to stay with the Heat, the six-time All-Star played coy.
“That’s a good question. Who knows? I don’t,” Butler said. “Right now, I’m here and I’m going to make the most of it. I’m going to compete and I’m going to win. It’s a lot of talk, a lot of noise, which is fine with me. It doesn’t bother me at all. I love that. I thrive on that. It keeps you all wondering, the world wondering. It’s good that they talk about it. Even better to be desired.”
Butler is in his 14th year in the NBA. He has been with the Heat since 2019. Miami is reportedly open to listening to offers for Butler, who primarily wants a trade to a “win-now contender.” The teams Butler is reportedly open to include the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets.
Butler and the Heat were unable to come to terms on a contract extension this summer, meaning he only has a $52 million player option left on his contract with the Heat. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Butler does not plan to exercise that option, meaning he will become a free agent in July. He is averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists this season.