Despite his return to the court, the Heat are still looking at the possibility of trading their star Jimmy Butler, reports NBA insider Marc Stein.
Butler is still an active member of the Heat, but league sources insist Miami is willing to continue exploring trade opportunities between now and the Feb. trade deadline. 6 amid genuine concern that there is a significant amount of the season left to navigate. the coming together of two groups that would like to break up immediately,” Stein wrote.
The Heat suspended Butler for seven games after “multiple incidents of conduct detrimental to the team,” after indicating that he “no longer wants” to be a part of the organization.
Jimmy played his first game back on Friday in a 133-113 loss to the Nuggets. He went 7-15 from the field and finished the night with 18 points, three rebounds, two assists and a turnover.
“I think it’s basketball right now,” Butler told reporters after the game. “I know what is expected of me while I’m here and I’m trying to do that to the best of my ability, but we are where we are.”
He also made it clear that his affairs are not for his colleagues.
“It felt good to go out and compete with these guys,” Butler said. “As everyone can imagine, I have no problem with these guys. These guys are cool. They are my friends. … My beef is not with them and never will be. It has never been like that. But it felt good to go out and play basketball.”
When Jimmy was asked what would happen if he was in the team in Feb. 7, he smiled and said, “We play a lot of ‘if-then,’ right? I will go.”
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