The notion of Jimmy Butler being traded has gone up-and-down over the last week, with the Golden State Warriors regularly linked as the team most likely to move for the 6x All-Star if a deal were to materialize.
ESPN's Bobby Marks reported on Monday that there was a growing consensus among rival executives that Butler would remain with the Heat, only for colleague Shams Charania to report on Wednesday that the star forward would prefer a trade away from South Beach.
Amid all the speculation, reporting and potential distraction for his team, Miami president Pat Riley has moved to completely squash any chance of a trade, stating, "we will make it clear -- we are not trading Jimmy Butler."
The Warriors have been in this situation before
Perhaps we should take Riley at his word and simply end the thought of Butler making his way to the Bay, but you also don't have to look far to get an idea that things can change very quickly. There's still six weeks to go until the February 6 deadline, meaning there's more than a enough time to add chapters to this story rather than end at the full stop Riley's just tried to make.
Riley and the Heat aren't going to make any public statements to the contrary -- doing so would completely ruin their leverage in possible negotiations with rival teams, and therefore the value they could extract for Butler in a trade.
Teams can often renege on their public statements, with the Warriors having notably done it themselves 18 months ago when they traded Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards for Chris Paul on draft day in 2023.
"We’re planning on having him here for four more years at least," general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said of Poole only to trade the young guard literally days later. Dunleavy and the Warriors will know that Riley's latest statement isn't a complete end to any Butler trade aspirations they may hold.
There's increasing angst and frustration among Warrior fans given the team's recent form, with the drum bells ringing on a significant trade that could quickly change the franchise's fortunes before it's too late.
After an impressive 12-3 start to the season, the 115-113 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day pushed Golden State to just one game above .500 and down to 10th in the Western Conference standings.