There has never been more uncertainty surrounding Jimmy Butler’s future with the Heat. Several reports suggest the Heat star desires a new destination. Pat Riley has come out and stated that despite reports, the Heat are not ready to let him go. But this development isn’t out of the blue. NBA analyst Bill Simmons claims the Heat’s refusal to give Butler a contract extension may have tarnished their relationship beyond fixing.
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Simmons took to The Bill Simmons Podcast to discuss the ongoing potential Butler trade-saga. He believes the six-time All-Star is mad and wants to prove Pat Riley wrong. He said,
“Maybe he’s not happy the team didn’t give him an extension. He seems like he’s moved toward the ‘I’m actually mad I didn’t get the extension and now I’m leaving after the year. I’m going to show everybody ow awesome I am.'”
Despite leading the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances during his six-year tenure in Miami, the front office is reluctant to give him an extension. Their reasoning isn’t because they don’t want Butler. Moreover, they don’t want to pay the 35-year-old maximum contract money if he begins to decline.
Butler’s productivity has taken a dip this season. He is only averaging 18.5 points and 4.9 assists per game. However, he is having the most efficient season of his career shooting 55% from the field on 11.1 field goal attempts per game. That mark is the lowest amount of field goal attempts since his third year in the league.
Simmons suggests Butler’s motivation is to prove the Heat wrong for spurning him in contract negotiations. Trade rumors surrounding Butler have significantly ramped up over the past few weeks. They’ve even created some unrest within the Heat locker room. As a result, Riley completely shut down any possibility of Butler having a new home this season.
Pat Riley silences Butler trade rumors
A day after Christmas, Riley and the Heat released a statement to the satisfaction of Heat fans. He stomped on every murmur surrounding the Heat and Butler’s impending future.
“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. “Therefore, we will make it clear. We are not trading Jimmy Butler.”
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Riley’s comments, for the time being, put the trade rumors involving Butler to a standstill. However, that doesn’t mean that the Heat won’t trade the five-time All-NBA member. Raptors executive Masai Ujiri stated that the team wouldn’t trade DeMar DeRozan. Nets general manager Sean Marks proclaimed that Kevin Durant won’t be going anywhere. Of course, those statements turned out to be false.
The NBA is a business, and Pat Riley knows that better than anyone else. There definitely could be validity to his statement, but the Heat will certainly be weighing their options with Jimmy Butler as the February 6 trade deadline quickly approaches.
