The Miami Heat have officially put their foot down concerning ongoing rumours about their star forward.
Team president Pat Riley announced on Thursday that the team will not trade Jimmy Butler in the wake of ongoing reports from ESPN’s Shams Charania, stating that the star wishes to find a home away from South Beach.
“We usually don’t comment on rumours, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches,” Riley said in a statement put out by the team. “Therefore, we will make it clear — we are not trading Jimmy Butler.”
This comes a day after Charania reported that Butler prefers a move away from the team ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
In his report, Charania did clarify that Butler did not formally request a trade from the team, but he simply preferred to be dealt to a contender, such as the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets or Dallas Mavericks.
In keeping Butler, Miami runs the risk of losing his services after this season. He has a $52-million player option for the 2025-26 season, but is expected to decline it, opting to instead become a free agent this summer.
It is the latest twist in a long-running saga involving Butler’s future with the Heat, one that began picking up steam back in May when Heat president Pat Riley was noncommittal about giving Butler an extension over the summer.
Butler is eligible for an extension that would guarantee him $113 million for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons. But he is 35 and has missed, on average, about one out of every four games in his Heat tenure.
The 35-year-old has been steady despite his unreliable health this season, averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 20 games this season. He has missed seven games this year with various injuries.
Miami is 14-13 and sits sixth in the Eastern Conference.
— With files from the Associated Press
