Day: December 26, 2024

Pat Riley released a statement in response to the ongoing trade rumors involving Jimmy Butler. On Christmas Day, it was reported that Butler prefers a trade from the Heat by the February 6th trade deadline. Riley is adamant in his statement that the Heat will not trade Butler.

“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,” said Riley. “Therefore, we will make it clear – We are not trading Jimmy Butler.”

Butler has been previously disappointed that the Heat didn’t dispute reports that they were listening to trade offers.

After the Heat decided not to offer Butler an extension this past offseason, there has been speculation that he could eventually be traded or leave as a free agent during the 2025 offseason.

Jimmy Butler has been disappointed with the Miami Heat primarily because the team declined to give him a two-year, $113 million contract extension this past summer, sources tell the Miami Herald. Butler was open to signing a deal early in the negotiating window, but his mindset changed when it wasn’t immediately offered.

ESPN reported on Christmas Day that Butler now prefers to be traded by the Heat with the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks on his list.

The Heat could change their mind and still offer Butler the extension, but there is no indication that the team will do so.

Butler is limited to the maximum of a two-year extension because the over-38 rule does not allow him to sign a new contract that would take him past the next three years.

Butler was also caught off guard by how Pat Riley challenged him during his news conference after the Heat were eliminated in the playoffs.

According to a source, Butler was also disappointed that the Heat did not publicly deny a Dec. 10 ESPN report that Miami was open to trading him.

The Golden State Warriors held a pregame players-only meeting before their 115-113 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day. Following a 12-3 start, the Warriors have lost 11 of their past 14 games.

“It is an inflection point on obviously which direction our season can go,” Stephen Curry said after scoring his personal best of 38 points for a Christmas game. “Our last 14 games, it’s just been tough trying to find any type of momentum or consistency, and through that, you just can’t lose spirit and belief that we’re a good enough team to figure it out because this league is ruthless.

“This league changes from window to window of what you can fall back on, and when you dig yourself a hole like that, sometimes it can be hard to pull out of. So, we’re right in that window where we can still regain some momentum however many weeks before the [All-Star] break are pivotal or else [we are] in a situation where we’re chasing down the stretch. And nobody wants to be there.”

Curry could sit the Warriors’ next game as they play at the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday in the first game of a back-to-back.

“We’re down,” Steve Kerr said of the team’s morale during this slump. “Everybody’s disappointed. We’ve lost some confidence. You can feel it. We had a great vibe early in the season, and we’re going through it right now.

“But I love our guys, high-character guys. They care. They care about each other. I believe in them. I believe we’re going to get this thing turned around, so this is all part of the season, part of life.”