Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler has requested a trade from the organization, showing an openness to join any other NBA team as the All-Star break approaches.
Just a day after ringing in the New Year, the six-time NBA All-Star requested a trade from the Heat, according to ESPN. The report shed no immediate clarity on Butler’s preferred trade goals, as the Suns, Warriors, Rockets, and Mavericks all continue to emerge as possible destinations. The 34-year-old forward believes he could transform any team into a championship contender.
Further reports indicated that Butler reached his boiling point “with no turning back” after the Heat’s 119-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Butler was accused of not giving his full effort on the court in that game. He played 25 minutes and scored 9 points. “You won’t say I’m not out there playing hard,” he said after the game. “It may look like that because my usage is down and I don’t shoot the ball a lot but [you can’t say] I’m not playing hard.”
Butler’s desire to leave the team comes as Miami sits in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with a 17-15 record, which keeps them in playoff contention but far from the dominance expected from the 2020 and 2023 teams who advanced to the NBA Finals. While rumors about tension between Butler and the organization have surfaced for weeks, Heat President Pat Riley attempted to suppress the noise just two days earlier.
“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 said in a rare official statement. “Therefore, we will make it clear. we are not trading Jimmy Butler.”
Butler remains the heartbeat and leader of the franchise despite being dissatisfied. Through 21 games this season, he’s averaging a team-second 18 points per game, along with 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists, while shooting a career-high 55.3 percent from the field. The efficiency rating is the highest of his NBA career and shows he still has plenty left in the tank to contribute at an elite level.
Last Thursday, Miami ended a two-game winning streak with a 128-115 loss to the Pacers. Butler scored nine points but did not play in the fourth quarter. After the game, he said he wanted to regain his joy in playing basketball. While he enjoys Miami off the court, he would “probably not” find that joy with the team on the court.
“I want to see me getting my joy back playing basketball. Wherever that may be, we’ll find out here pretty soon,” he said after the game. “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.”
Butler accomplished an Eastern Conference Finals MVP, an All-NBA Second Team selection, and two appearances on the All-NBA Third Team during his time with the Heat. He holds the record for the most triple-doubles in Heat history with 13, and the highest offensive rating in franchise history [128.2], surpassing Heat legends like LeBron James and Bam Adebayo.
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