Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat controls the ball during the first half of a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Caseya Center on December 20, 2024 in Miami, Florida. <> Second half on December 4, 2024 at Caseya Center in Miami, Florida. – Carmen Mandert/Getty Images/AFP
MIAMI — Jimmy Butler said he needs to find joy again on the basketball court. And when asked if he could find that joy in Miami, he had a two-word answer.
“Probably not,” he said.
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The relationship between Butler and the Heat, which has been a hot topic of conversation in recent weeks, appears to have deteriorated further. On Thursday night, the Heat lost 128-115 to Indiana, with Butler scoring exactly nine points for the second straight game and playing exactly zero seconds in the fourth quarter. The same thing happened Wednesday against New Orleans.
“What do you want to see happen? Wherever it is, I want to see me get the joy of playing basketball back, and we’ll see that soon,” Butler said. “I want to get the joy back. Off the court I’m happy here, but I want to get back to being dominant. I want to hoop and I want to help this team win. For now, I’m not feeling that way. I haven’t done that.”
Read: NBA: Jimmy Butler’s future with Heat remains undetermined
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What happens next is unknown. The Heat do not practice Friday and will host Utah on Saturday.
ESPN reported that Butler “indicated” he wanted to be traded to the Heat following his postgame comments on Thursday. Butler has not said publicly whether he wants to transfer. The network also reported on Christmas Day that Butler wanted to be traded before the Feb. 6 deadline, in part because the Heat took the highly unusual step of announcing last week that they would not trade Butler. Ta.
Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler, 22, leaves the court after the game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Required Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Thursday’s game was clearly not a typical Butler performance. He spent most of his possessions primarily in the attacking corners, taking just six shots in 27 minutes. He took five shots from the floor Wednesday. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra basically put Butler at point guard for part of the third quarter to jumpstart things. It didn’t work.
“Obviously he’s frustrated because he’s standing in the corner,” Heat captain Bam Adebayo said. “So he has a lot going on in his corner. In our case, as coaches always say, what’s important is what’s important. We’re trying to win. I’m playing and that’s all that matters.”
Read: Pat Riley says Miami Heat won’t trade Jimmy Butler
Butler said he felt focused and accomplished Thursday, adding, “At least what my job is now.”
“That’s not something I’m used to,” Butler said. “I haven’t had anything like that since my first, second and third year in the league. There I was just going out there and playing defense. I competed. I defended. That’s what I’m doing now. That’s what I’m doing.”
Butler has failed to reach double digits in points for three straight games, the first time since November 2013. He was scoreless against Oklahoma City on December 20, but left midway through the first quarter due to an ankle sprain and illness.
Butler is less than a month removed from his Dec. 16 game against Detroit, where he had 35 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals, but he still has moments where he looks like he’s elite. He has scored 10 points or less six times this season. To be fair, he left two of those games early with illness or injury.
“I thought we tried to get him involved,” Heat guard Tyler Herro said after Thursday’s game.
Butler was the best player on the Heat’s two teams that reached the NBA Finals. He was eligible for a two-year, $113 million contract extension starting last summer, but Miami has yet to offer the 35-year-old a new contract. Butler has a $52 million player option for next season and could leave Miami in free agency this summer if he remains with the team past the trade deadline.
Spoelstra has said multiple times that he wants Butler to stay in Miami, and said he believes the back-to-back nine-point loss was partly due to Butler missing nearly two weeks with an illness. Wednesday was Butler’s first game back after that stretch.
“It’s important to be aggressive,” Spoelstra said in response to Butler’s postgame comments. “We’ve got to figure it out. You know what? He’s got to figure it out. We’ve got to figure it out.”
Butler insisted he would continue to compete.
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“Whether we score nine points or 29 points, we’re going to fight for the win either way,” Butler said. “I compete. That’s one thing I’ll say. I wouldn’t say I’m not playing hard. Because my usage is down and I’m not shooting the ball as much. It may seem that way, but we’re not going to sit here and say I’m not playing hard.”
