Tyler Herro's Jimmy Butler Statement After Pelicans-Heat

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro spoke on Jimmy Butler after defeating the New Orleans Pelicans.

Terry Kimble | Jan 2, 2025

Oct 30, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) and guard Tyler Herro (14) talk on the court against the New York Knicks during the second quarter at Kaseya Center. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

In this story:

The New Orleans Pelicans lost their 11th straight game on Wednesday night, falling 119-108 to the Miami Heat. Jimmy Butler returned to the lineup for the first time in six games after dealing with a severe stomach illness. He left Miami's loss to the Thunder on December 20th with an apparent ankle injury, but later the team revealed the stomach issue Butler was dealing with.

The 35-year-old played 25 minutes on Wednesday evening but did not play in the fourth quarter of Miami's victory. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters postgame that he optioned to leave the All-Star out of the final quarter to see if the group on the floor could close it out, also mentioning Butler's 13-day absence.

Jan 1, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray (5) defends Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) during the first half at Kaseya Center. / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

Tyler Herro led the Heat with 32 points and told reporters just how important Butler is for Miami moving forward.

"It was good just to have him back out there," Herro told reporters after the game. "It's always great playing with him."

Tyler Herro on Jimmy Butler coming back.

“It was good just to have him back out there…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/4uOkCktt9E
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) January 2, 2025

Butler's name has circulated numerous times recently in trade speculation. However, Heat's president Pat Riley issued a statement publicly about the outside noise surrounding a Butler trade.

"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 said in a statement.

Statement from Pat Riley

"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."
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 26, 2024