Jimmy Butler was asked point-blank about trade rumors surrounding him and the Miami Heat, as well as his desire, or potential lack thereof, to remain with the team.
Butler returned to the team Tuesday after he was away while "working on conditioning" according to Dec. 27 report. Head coach Erik Spoelstra said he plans on Butler playing in the team's next game on New Year's Day against the New Orleans Pelicans, according to Clutch Points. Butler left a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with an illness on Dec. 20 and hasn't played since.
Now back at practice, Butler addressed recent trade rumors and expressed his uncertainty looking forward.
"That's a good question," Butler ambiguously told reporters on whether he wants to stay in Miami via Zachary Weinberger of Clutch Points. "Who knows? I don't. But right now I'm here so I'm going to make the most of it."
"It's a lot of talk," Butler continued about the trade rumors. "It is a lot of noise, which I'm cool with. It doesn't bother me at all. The traded, the not traded, I love that, I thrive on that. But it keeps all y'all wondering. It does, it keeps the world wondering to where y'all got to keep coming back and asking me about something. I like it, it's good to be talked about. It's even better to be wanted, though, remember that."
After ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania initially reported Butler's preference to be traded, Heat president Pat Riley made it clear that the team has no plans to execute a trade that moves Butler.
Butler seems to be leaving the rumors up for interpretation with just over a month before the NBA's Feb. 6 trade deadline. Now, he says he'll return to action with his current team, unsure of what the future holds.
The saga continues.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jimmy Butler Offered Cryptic Answers When Asked About Possible Heat Trade.