Update: *Jimmy Butler has indicated that he wants a trade out of Miami, according to ESPN's Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst on Thursday.
Jimmy Butler had been strongly linked to the Golden State Warriors in recent times, but speculation did halt somewhat just over a week ago when Miami Heat President Pat Riley declared that his franchise wouldn't trade the 6x All-Star.
But as much as Riley tried to pour water on the Butler fire, that was never going to be the end of the saga ahead of the February 6 trade deadline. Now, things are sure to heat up again after the 35-year-old's latest comments following the Heat's 128-115 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday.
Jimmy Butler may have just rejuvenated a potential Warriors trade
After declaring that he wants to get his joy back on the court, Butler responded "probably not" when pressed whether that could happen in Miami. That's a huge bombshell for the veteran forward to drop, and it's sure to reignite conjecture on his future.
The "probably not" comments also seem to reflect a Christmas Day report from ESPN's Shams Charania that stated that Butler would prefer a trade away from Miami prior to the deadline.
Jimmy Butler with an extremely candid media session.
— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) January 3, 2025
Said he wants his joy back on the court.
Asked if he can find that joy here, he replied "Probably not." pic.twitter.com/AwSLbstr4W
Thursday's game was just Butler's second back from a five-game absence, having recorded just nine points, two rebounds and four assists in the 13-point loss while finishing as a game-low -27 in his 27 minutes.
Butler was also quiet in his return against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, finishing with nine points, four rebounds and two assists in an 11-point win. The Heat star took just five field-goal attempts in nearly 25 minutes of action, having now averaged less than 18 points on the season -- the lowest since his third year with the Chicago Bulls in 2013-14.
Golden State have consistently been mentioned as a strong player if Butler is to be moved, with a trio of other Western Conference rivals -- the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets -- also mentioned as teams Butler is "open to" according to Charania.
Butler's contract situation is certainly a major hurdle to jump over for any team, with his $48.8 million salary meaning that the Warriors would have to send out at least four players including starting small forward Andrew Wiggins.
Golden State would also have to commit to offering a significant multi-year extension to Butler in the offseason, with a likelihood of the 14-year veteran opting out of his $52.4 million player option during the summer.