As trade rumors continue to swirl around Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler, the forward responded Tuesday with “that’s a good question” when asked by reporters whether he wants to stay in Miami.
“Who knows? I don’t, but right now I’m here, so I’m going to make the most of it, and I’m gonna compete, and I am gonna win,” Butler said. “That’s all that I got. It’s a lot of talk. It is a lot of noise, which I’m cool with. I love that. I thrive in that. But it keeps all y’all wondering.”
Butler’s comments came less than a week after Heat president Pat Riley took the unusual step of announcing that the team “will not trade” Butler after recent reports have suggested a parting might be looming. An ESPN report on Christmas Day stated the six-time All-Star prefers to be relocated by the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline.
“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,” Riley wrote in a statement Thursday. “Therefore, we will make it clear — We are not trading Jimmy Butler.”
Butler addressed Riley’s statement Tuesday.
“I don’t know. We will see. Only time will tell,” Butler told reporters. “I can’t tell you what’s finna happen come tomorrow. I appreciate the statement, but this is a business after all, I know what is capable. I won’t have any hard feelings either way.”
When asked if he or his agent had spoken to Riley recently, Butler replied, “Next.”
Butler, who has missed the past five games, said he plans to return to the court Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans. His name has been a constant in trade rumors since the offseason. In June, The Athletic reported Butler would play out the 2024-25 season on his existing contract and not sign an extension with the Heat or any other team. He has a $52 million player option for the 2025-26 season.
After Miami’s playoff exit last season, Riley publicly called out Butler for making waves with his comments about opponents despite missing time.
“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,” Riley told reporters in May about Butler.
Butler, 35, has played 20 games this season, and his scoring average (18.5) is on pace for his lowest since his third season in the league, when he averaged 13.1 points for the Chicago Bulls. But lack of volume isn’t the same as dwindling impact, as Butler’s 55.2 percent shooting on the season would mark the highest figure of his 14-year career.
So far this season, the Heat have a 10-10 record with Butler in the lineup, including a plus-6.2 net rating when he is on the court. That figure, over the full regular season, would rank seventh among all teams.
Butler dismissed the notion that speculation about his future with the Heat has been a distraction for him or his teammates.
“I mean, I think we’re used to that by now — all the outside noise,” Butler said. “At least it’s not about anybody else. At least it’s about me, so everybody else gets the free rein to go and hoop, play free. And me too, because I honestly do not care about getting traded, where I’m supposed to go, who’s saying what. I play through all of that noise easily.”
One theme around Butler’s rumors has been the color of his hair, which has at times mirrored the jersey colors of some of his reported potential trade destinations — blonde for the Golden State Warriors, blue for the Dallas Mavericks, orange for the Phoenix Suns, red for the Houston Rockets. In Tuesday’s media session, Butler had some newly colored purple in his hair.
“My daughter picked purple, so I went with purple,” Butler said. “She’s gonna pick the color tonight too. I think I know what it’s gonna be, but she’s gonna pick it.”
Required reading
(Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
