Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra: "We Want Jimmy Here"

Shandel Richardson | 21 Hours Ago

Dec 20, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra reacts against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

The holiday season for the Miami Heat has turned into the Jimmy Butler saga.

The Heat are at the center of the NBA world because of trade speculation surrounding their star player. A day after an ESPN report claimed Butler preferred a trade, the team has opportunity to react.

“That’s just the deal,” Heat coach Spoelstra told reporters in Orlando Thursday morning. “You have to compartmentalize in this business. We want Jimmy here. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it. And it’s just unfortunate that you have to control or deal with a lot of the noise on the outside.”

The story today is supposed to be the Heat trying avenge a bad loss to the Magic earlier this week when they blew a 25-point, second-half lead. It has now become all about Butler to the point of team president Pat Riley releasing a statement on the situation.

“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,” Riley said Thursday. “Therefore, we will make it clear - We are not trading Jimmy Butler.”

This could go on throughout the rest of the season, especially with the trade deadline not until Feb. 6. Even then, the Heat have to make a decision on Butler at some point during the offseason.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

Follow our coverage on Facebook

X: @ShandelRich