Where the fire is smoldering and indeed it is with the Jimmy Butler trade rumors, as he has now officially requested a trade away from the Miami Heat.
The latest from ESPN’s Shams Charania:
All-Star Jimmy Butler has told the Miami Heat he wants the team to trade him, league sources told ESPN.
“Butler does not plan to give the Heat a list of preferred destinations, sources told ESPN. He is open to playing anywhere outside of Miami and feels he can make any team a contender – no matter where he is moved, sources said. He plans to participate in all team activities and He’ll plan to do whatever the Heat ask of him with the plan, 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 had a team-low -27.
After the game he said he lost the joy of playing in Miami.
“I want to see me find my happiness playing basketball. “Wherever it is, we’ll get here soon,” Butler said. “I’m happy here outside the field but I want to be strong again, I want to run and I want to help this team to win and at the moment I’m not doing it.”
When asked if he could bring his joy back to the court with the Heat, Butler replied, “Probably not.”
Shams says “the issue that led to Butler’s decision was the result of team officials on Thursday that he did not play hard during the Heat’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.” Playing his first game 13 days after getting sick, Butler shot just five in 25 games and scored nine points in that game.
Butler said, “I’m going out to compete either way; whether I get nine or 29 points I’m going to compete,” Butler said Thursday night. “You can’t say that I’m not playing hard. It might look like that because my usage is low and I don’t shoot the ball much but (you can’t tell) I don’t play hard.”
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