Heat president Pat Riley says team won’t trade Butler
Amid swirling speculation, Heat president Pat Riley announced Thursday that the team will not trade Jimmy Butler.
“We usually don’t comment on rumors,” Riley said in a statement issued on the team’s X account. “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.”
Riley’s comment comes a day after ESPN reported that Butler prefers to be traded. Butler’s camp has declined to comment on the report, but a source said he would be fine with a trade but also accepting of finishing the season with Miami if the Heat doesn’t deal him.
Sources involved with Butler and the Heat both said that he has not formally requested a trade, but nobody has denied that he is unhappy. Butler’s relationship with the team has become somewhat strained in recent months.
Butler was non-committal when asked earlier this month if he wants to remain with the Heat.
But even before Riley’s statement, there was no indication that the Heat would cave to his preferences.
Butler, 35, is doubtful for Thursday’s game in Orlando because of what the team has listed as “return to competition reconditioning” after missing the previous two games with a stomach illness.
If Butler misses Thursday’s contest, it will mark the eighth game he has missed in the Heat’s first 28 games of the season. He has missed 20 or more regular-season games three times in the past four seasons last regular season because of injuries and other reasons.
According to multiple sources, Butler has been disappointed with the Heat primarily because Miami declined to give him a two-year, $113 million contract extension this past summer, a deal that would have run through the 2026-27 season. Butler was open to signing such a deal early in the negotiating window, but his mindset changed when the extension wasn’t immediately offered by the Heat.
The Heat could still offer Butler that extension until June 30, but Miami has given no indication that it will.
After the Heat did not quickly agree to an extension this past offseason, Butler decided to play out this season and exercise his option to become a free agent this upcoming summer. That remains his intention, sources said.
Butler entered Thursday averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting a career-best 55.2 percent from the field in 20 games this season. He leads the Heat in most advanced metrics this season, including estimated plus/minus, win shares and box plus/minus.
The Heat could deal Butler in a sign-and-trade next summer. Only the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets would have enough cap space to give Butler a max contract in July.
This story was originally published December 26, 2024 at 1:51 PM.
