NBA Insider decodes Pat Riley's Jimmy Butler no trade Heat statement
12/27/2024 06:10 PM
As the trade odyssey of the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler continues, there was one moment that came as a shock to some fans of the team and the basketball world. With all the speculation, Heat president Pat Riley released a statement saying bluntly that the team will not be trading Butler which garnered more debate among ESPN analysts.
"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. Therefore, we will make it clear – We are not trading Jimmy Butler," Riley said via the statement that was posted to the team’s official X, formerly Twitter, account.
On the podcast “The Hoop Collective,” basketball analysts Brian Windhorst, Tim MacMahon, and Tim Bontemps spoke about the statement and what it could really mean. For Windhorst, he would say that the message by Riley is more for Butler than it is for the media.
“This message has nothing to do with the media, that is a message for Jimmy Butler,” Windhorst said.
ESPN insiders further discuss Pat Riley’s statement on Jimmy Butler
The conversation would further talk about the possible trades for Butler that the Heat would make, but there is “not a group of teams lined up around the block” that is giving the team a great deal as said by Bontemps.
“Jimmy Butler is a 35-year-old star who is going to be either an unrestricted free agent this summer if he opts out of his contract or opting into a $52 million option for next season,” Bontemps said. “There is not a group of teams lined up around the block offering the heat the sun, the moon, and the stars for Jimmy Butler's services. If that was the case Jimmy Butler would probably be traded.”
MacMahon would give his take on the statement in the segment where he expressed that what Riley is saying is not that the team won’t trade him because of their commitment to him long-term. But, it’s they are not just going to make a “bad trade” just because Butler would be “tired” of the team.
“They are not saying we're not trading Jimmy Butler because holy moly he just committed to them and everything’s awesome, they are saying dude, we're not going to make a bad trade just because you're tired of us,” MacMahon said.
At any rate, it remains to be seen what will happen to Butler as he will miss the next two games for the Heat and is expected to re-join the team after the current road trip. Miami starts a back-to-back Saturday afternoon against the Atlanta Hawks which continues Sunday facing Houston Rockets.
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