The trade speculation involving Butler reached a tipping point on Christmas when NBA insider Shams Charania joined ESPN’s ‘NBA Countdown’ to report that the six-time All-Star “prefers a trade out of Miami.”
With Charania now being the most connected NBA insider in the business, when he speaks, folks tend to listen, so the rumors immediately took off about Butler leaving the Heat ahead of the February 6 trade deadline. ESPN reporting that Butler has not formally demanded a trade was ignored given that most of today’s NBA fans are more caught up in potential trades than they are in the product on the floor.
About twenty-four hours of hearing all the rumors involving Butler was apparently all Riley could handle, so in unprecedented fashion, he released a statement that the team then shared on social media.
“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’s statement read.
Pat Riley has shut down, or is at least attempting to shut down, the Jimmy Butler trade rumors. Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
This could all come back and bite Riley if the Heat, who are 14-13 on the year, have no other option but to trade a potentially disgruntled Butler, who has a $52.4 million player option next season, but you have to respect the team president drawing his own line in the sand.
The NBA is, of course, a player-driven league that, over the last decade or so, has gotten softer in terms of players asking and receiving anything they desire, while team executives are operating with at least one hand tied around their back.
Riley, an old-school former NBA champion himself, clearly seems to have had enough and wants to push back against the culture of today’s league, at least as long as he can or until Butler formally puts in a trade request. Only time will tell.
