The Jimmy Butler drama took yet another twist on Tuesday.
The Heat star turned cryptic when asked if he wants to stay in Miami as trade rumors swirl around him.
“It’s a good question. Who knows? I don’t,” Butler told reporters. “But right now, I’m here. So, I’m going to make the most of it. I am going to compete, and I am going to win. And that’s all that I’ve got. 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. I love that. I thrive in that.
“But it keeps all y’all wondering. It does. It keeps the world wondering, to where you’ve got to keep coming back and asking me about something. I like it. It’s good to be talked about. Even better to be wanted, though. Remember that.”
Butler was also mum when asked about his reported list of preferred trade destinations – the Suns, Warriors, Mavericks and Rockets.
“Does it matter? Does it? I don’t think so,” Butler said. “All of that is out of my control, anyway. Like I said, I’m here. I’m hooping.”
He is returning to the team after missing five games due to an illness.
Last week, Heat president Pat Riley made it clear the franchise wouldn’t ship the six-time All-Star out of Miami despite trade chatter ratcheting up in recent weeks.
“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 in a Dec. 26 news release. “Therefore, we will make it clear — we are not trading Jimmy Butler.”
Butler and the Heat were unable to reach an agreement on an extension over the summer, leaving his future in South Beach after this season up in the air.
The 35-year-old has a $52.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season that he reportedly is set to decline.
In 20 games this season, Butler is averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists.
The Heat are 16-14 and in seventh place in the East.
