“Need Him To Be Aggressive”: Amidst Jimmy Butler’s Trade Request, Erik Spoelstra Remains Adamant on Keeping Him Involved

The Jimmy Butler-Miami Heat situation continues to worsen. The Heat suffered a loss yesterday at home against the Indiana Pacers. Butler was ineffective yet again on the floor. The forward has reportedly requested a trade following the loss, but the Miami side is still adamant about keeping him around.

At the post-game presser, Erik Spoelstra talked about the team’s failures and Butler’s role within the tandem. Spoelstra also admitted that the pressure got the better of them.

Despite the team’s efforts to get the ball in Butler’s hands, the 35-year-old couldn’t do much. Spoelstra said that the team expects Jimmy to be aggressive as it’ll enable them to take over the upcoming games. “Obviously we need him to be aggressive, we need to get him in spots where he can be aggressive. You know how to do that,” coach Spo said.

On the other hand, Butler’s emotions were on a different trajectory. He said that he had lost the joy of playing basketball.

Although he is still loving his time in Miami off the court, he doesn’t have the same joy to lace up for the team. When asked if he can get his joy back in Miami, Butler said, “Probably not.”

The 35-year-old has been very passive and uninterested for the last few games. The lack of joy that he talked about is showing up on his stats as well. In the last three games, he has averaged six points, two rebounds, and 2.7 assists. At a time when players should be locked in to make a playoff run, the team is dealing with Butler’s demands to leave Miami.

Bam Adebayo reacted to Jimmy Butler’s comments

Bam Adebayo also sounded dejected when he sat down for the post-game press conference. When asked for his comment on what Butler recently said, Adebayo stated that it has been a terrible situation all around. He understands the frustration that Butler is dealing with and is hopeful that the Heat will find its spark back.

He said, “Think it’s a bad night all around…obviously he’s frustrated, he feels like he’s standing in the corner, so he’s got a lot of things going on in his corner.”

The rumors about a disrupted locker room in Miami are all over the internet.

However, Tyler Herro has claimed that those rumors are far from reality. The Heat star has stated that he likes the vibe that’s in the locker room at the moment. If it’s true then it should be taken as a positive sign by Heat fans. It might also be Herro’s attempt to do damage control and present a united front in front of the world.