Where there’s smoke there’s fire and that is definitely the case with the Jimmy Butler trade rumors, since he has now officially requested a trade away from the Miami Heat.
The latest from ESPN’s Shams Charania:
“Six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler has indicated to the Miami Heat he wants the team to trade him, league sources told ESPN.
“Butler does not plan to furnish the Heat with a list of favored destinations, sources told ESPN. He is open to playing anywhere other than Miami and feels he can make any team a contender — no matter where he is moved, sources said. He does plan to take part in all team activities and will plan to do whatever the Heat ask of him during this process, sources said.”
Butler scored just nine points in the Heat’s 128-115 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night, took just six shots and a had a team low -27.
After the game he said he’d lost his joy playing in Miami.
“I want to see me getting my joy back playing basketball. Wherever that may be, we’ll find out here pretty soon,” Butler said. “I’m happy here off the court but I want to be back to somewhat dominant, I want to hoop and I want to help this team win and right now I’m not doing it.”
When asked if he can get his joy back on the court with the Heat, Butler answered with, “Probably not.”
Shams says an “issue that led to Butler’s decision was an implication from team officials Thursday that he hadn’t played his hardest in the Heat’s victory Wednesday over the New Orleans Pelicans. Playing his first game in 13 days after being away with an illness, Butler took just five shots in 25 games and scored nine points in that game.”
Butler said, “I’m going out there to compete either way; whether I score nine points or 29 points I will compete,” Butler said Thursday night. “You won’t say I’m not out there playing hard. It may look like that because my usage is down and I don’t shoot the ball a lot but (you can’t say) I’m not playing hard.”
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