By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Miami Heat’s godfather has spoken.
Pat Riley, an NBA executive who is the current president of the Miami Heat organization and a minority owner of the franchise, addressed the false information circulating in social media that their superstar Jimmy Butler prefers to be traded.
In an official statement aired on December 27, 2024, Riley confirmed that they will not trade Butler, and the rumors spreading across social media are just a distraction to their ongoing NBA regular season campaign.
“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.
According to ESPN’s senior NBA insider Shams Charania, Butler wanted to be shipped to title-contending franchises before the trade deadline ends on February 6, 2025.
Charania also announced that Phoenix, Golden State, Dallas, and Houston are possible destinations for Butler if the trade will be a done deal.
In addition, Charania reiterated that the main factor that caused Butler to come up with a trade decision was the Heat organization’s failure to meet his desired contract extension pay check.
Butler only has a remaining $52 million worth of player option, and Charania confirmed that the swingman does not plan to sign the extension.
However, Riley didn’t confirm if Butler really requested a trade out of South Beach, but one thing is certain. The man who helped them reach the NBA Finals two years ago will not be dealt to other teams.
At the end of his statement, Riley emphasized: “Therefore, we will make it clear, we are not trading Jimmy Butler.”
Butler is currently having a rough start in the 2024-2025 NBA season after only playing 20 total games due to multiple injuries he suffered in the first 10 games of their schedule.
Miami’s star is averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game but his playing time dipped down to just 31 minutes per game due to load and injury management.
