In shocking post-game comments, Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler openly admitted that he’s unhappy with his current team and believes there’s no way for him to ‘joy’ playing in south Florida.
This comes after weeks of speculation that the Heat might trade the 35-year-old star – or that Butler might demand to be moved.
Butler only put up nine points on a 3-for-6 shooting line alongside two rebounds, four assists, and two steals in Miami’s 128-115 defeat to the Indiana Pacers.
But after the game, Butler said that he was not at all happy with being a member of the Heat. While he didn’t expressly say that he wanted out, he admitted that he wants to be happy playing again ‘wherever that may be’.
‘What do I want to see happen? I want to see my joy back from playing basketball, wherever that may be we’ll find out here pretty soon,’ Butler said in a post-game press conference.
‘I wanna get my joy back. I’m happy here, off the court, but I wanna be back to somewhat dominant. I wanna hoop, and I wanna help this team win. Right now I’m not doing that.’
Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler has reportedly demanded a trade away from the team
When asked in a follow-up question if he could get his joy back in Miami on the court, Butler matter-of-factly stated, ‘Probably not.’ The press conference immediately ended after.
After the press conference, a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst indicated that Butler demanded a trade from the team.
Last month, Charania indicated that the team was listening to potential trade offers for Butler.
But now, Charania reports that Butler doesn’t plan on telling the Heat of any potential trade destinations – and that he just wants to play anywhere other than Miami. Charania reported through sources that Butler plans to continue taking part in team activities and, ‘will plan to do whatever the Heat ask of him during this process.’
Butler returned to the court earlier this week after being sidelined due to illness. He hasn’t played in the fourth quarter of either games he’s been a part of this week.
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