Heat president Pat Riley: ‘We are not trading Jimmy Butler’
After weeks of trade speculation, Miami Heat team president Pat Riley shut down chatter that the franchise has no plans to trade star forward Jimmy Butler.
“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. Therefore, we will make it clear — we are not trading Jimmy Butler,” he said in a statement via ESPN.
The chatter stemmed from Butler’s contract situation, as the team hasn’t worked out a long-term deal with the six-time All-Star. He is in the second year of his three-year, $146.3 million deal that holds a $52.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season.
Butler is expected to opt out of the final year of his deal, making him a free agent next July. The outside noise around Butler had continued to loom around the Heat as a recent report suggested that the 35-year-old desired a trade before the Feb. 6 deadline.
It had linked several teams, such as the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, and Dallas Mavericks, as potential landing spots. However, there hasn’t been any serious movement toward a trade.
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Butler is putting together another productive campaign, averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists while shooting 55.2 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent from beyond the arc in 20 games played.
He is a strong offensive factor who holds a proven track record of being a strong playoff performer. Although Riley publicly shot down trade talks, it remains a situation to monitor.
