Following Trade Rumors, Jimmy Butler Remains Away From Heat for 'Conditioning' Work

A trickle of news out of Miami has become a waterfall.

Jimmy Butler during the Heat's 119–116 loss to the Raptors on Dec. 1, 2024. / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The Miami Heat have a pair of actual games on the docket this weekend—a road game against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday afternoon and another against the Houston Rockets on Sunday evening.

However, those games have taken a backseat to a storyline rapidly engulfing the Heat: the fate of forward Jimmy Butler.

Butler is remaining in Miami this weekend and "said to be working on conditioning," according to a Friday afternoon report from Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. Winderman's report follows a Wednesday report from ESPN's Shams Charania that intimated Butler preferred to be traded.

The report provoked varied negative reactions within the Heat's management structure, with coach Erik Spoelstra calling it "unfortunate" while team president Pat Riley bluntly stated the team would not trade Butler.

It now looks like Jimmy Butler is remaining behind in Miami, said to be working on conditioning, as the saga continues. Nothing formal about his status for this weekend's games in Atlanta on Saturday and Houston on Sunday.

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) December 27, 2024

Butler, who is reputed to want a max contract at the age of 35, holds a $52.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season.

The six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA talent is averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 20 games this year.

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