MIAMI (AP) – The Miami Heat have listed Jimmy Butler as questionable for Thursday’s game against Orlando, saying he needs time to get conditioned before returning to the lineup.
His intentions for future games also seem a bit unclear.
Butler has not asked the Heat to move him, but unnamed sources told ESPN on Wednesday that the six-time All-Star wants to be traded by the league’s Feb. 6 deadline, with Phoenix and other It was reported that he is open to transferring to the team. Golden State, Houston, Dallas.
The primary colors of these teams’ uniforms include orange, yellow, red, and blue. Perhaps not coincidentally, Butler’s hair has been dyed that color from time to time in recent weeks.
“I actually like it,” Butler said earlier this month when asked about the connection to trade talks and speculation. “It’s good to be talked about. To a certain extent, I don’t think there’s such a thing as bad publicity.”
If Miami doesn’t trade Butler, they could risk losing him for free as a free agent next summer.
This is the latest development in a long-running saga over Butler’s future with the Heat, which began gaining momentum in May when Heat president Pat Riley was reluctant to extend Butler’s contract in the summer.
Butler is eligible for a contract extension with $113 million guaranteed for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons. But he’s 35 years old and has missed an average of about one out of every four games during his time with the Heat.
“It’s a big decision for us to commit those resources unless we have someone who can be there every night and respond,” Riley said in May. “That’s the truth.”
Riley also chided Butler for saying after last season that teams like Boston and New York would have lost to Miami if Butler hadn’t been injured during the play-in tournament.
“I thought, ‘Is that Jimmy trolling or are you serious?’ If you’re not on the court against Boston or against the New York Knicks, you shut up about criticizing those teams. I should,” Riley said last spring.
Butler twisted his ankle in Miami’s loss to Oklahoma City on Friday, but the illness, not the ankle, was the reason for the remainder of that game and the next two Heat games (last Saturday’s game against Orlando and Monday’s game against Brooklyn). missed.
Butler helped Miami reach two NBA Finals during his time with the Heat. This season, he is averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists.
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