For five seasons, Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat seemed to have a perfect marriage. He led the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances and was a two-time All-Star, and no one has embodied “Heat Culture” quite like he has.
However, at the end of last season, the Heat lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Boston Celtics in five games. Butler, who was nursing an injury, did not play, which was the beginning of the end of their uneventful union.
Butler told the media after that series that the Heat would have won if he had been healthy. Heat President Pat Riley then publicly told Butler to “keep your mouth shut” and made it clear that Butler would not be offered a contract extension.
Assuming he opts out of his player option this summer, Butler will be an unrestricted free agent. As a result, he is one of the hottest names on the NBA trade market.
During media availability, Butler was asked if he plans on staying in Miami and answered with a two-word question of his own: “Who knows?”
“That’s a good question,” Butler told Clutch Point’s Zachary Weinberger on Tuesday. “Who knows? I don’t, but right now I’m here, so I’m going to make the most of it and I am going to compete and I am going to win. It’s a lot of talk, and it is a lot of noise, which I’m cool with! It doesn’t bother me at all.”
Riley and the Heat released a statement last week saying that they would not trade Butler, calling rumors and reports a “distraction.”
For Butler, it seems like he is keeping things close to his chest and just wants to win, regardless of what team he ends the season with. For potential trade suitors, that’s the best answer they could possibly hear.
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