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Jimmy Butler dropped a bomb on Thursday night.
this Miami Heat The star admitted he is unhappy with his current team and believes there is no way to find “joy” playing in South Florida.
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Speaking after losing 128-115 to Indiana PacersButler, who scored just nine points, indicated he wanted to be traded from Miami.
“I want to see the joy of playing basketball come back to me,” the six-time All-Star said.
“Wherever it is, we’ll soon find out here.
“I’m happy to be out here on the court, but I want to get back to some kind of dominant position, I want to play hoops and I want to help this team win and I’m not doing that right now.”
When pressed by reporters on whether he could bring his joy back to the court with the Heat, Butler replied, “Probably not.”
After the chilly press conference, ESPN reported that the 35-year-old star had indeed indicated he wanted the team to trade him and would be happy to play anywhere else — sending social media into meltdown.
But while fans were stunned by the turmoil unfolding in Miami, many pointed the finger at Heat president Pat Riley instead of Butler.
“They’ll never make me hate you, Jimmy Butler. Pat Riley and company are actively murdering my love. NBA Just now one of them wrote in X.
“Pat Riley really ran LeBron JamesDwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler left town in a decade. It’s crazy to me,” said another.
Jimmy Butler is not a villain to me. I don’t blame him. Pat Riley let him down. Unfortunately, it led to this point. We saw this guy save the Heat, pull them out of the gutter. It is shameful. A third suggested.
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Reports about Butler’s future have been bubbling for months, and when it was claimed last week that a number of Western Conference teams were his target. Riley issued a sharp statement.
“We’ll make it clear — we’re not trading Jimmy Butler,” he said in a team release.
The comments highlighted the saga between Riley and Butler, which began last May when Miami’s president was non-committal about extending the veteran’s contract this summer.
Butler could have extended his contract worth $113 million over two years, but no deal was signed.
Now, if Miami doesn’t trade Butler, there’s a chance he could be lost as a free agent next summer.
After the star made his intentions clear on Thursday night, the NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal He also shared his thoughts on the situation.
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Shaq has a unique perspective, as he played for the Heat throughout his career.
“I know from personal experience that you can’t argue with Pat Riley,” he told NBA on TNT.
“So if Jimmy wants a trade, he’s definitely going to be traded… Pat Riley runs the ship there. So Jimmy wants to be traded, and he’s said publicly that he’s not happy there; Pat Riley is definitely going to will require.”
Butler is averaging 18 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists this season. According to ESPN, teams have been notified that he plans to decline his 2025-26 player option and become a free agent in July.
Emotional moment Jimmy Butler talks about the moment he found out his father had died
If that happens, there will be no shortage of potential suitors.
