Jimmy Butler remains behind amid conjecture as Heat move on to Atlanta

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Dec 27, 2024

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

ATLANTA — Jimmy Butler remained away from the team Friday as the Miami Heat flew to Atlanta for Saturday’s second stop on their three-game trip. Butler has been away from the team the past three games due to what initially was listed as a stomach ailment, an absence that coincided with yet another round of trade speculation.

Having exited last Friday’s home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first quarter, when he also appeared to turn an ankle, Butler then missed last Saturday night’s loss in Orlando, Monday night’s home victory against the Brooklyn Nets and then Thursday night’s win in the rematch with the Magic at Kia Center.

Butler was listed as out Thursday due to “return to competition reconditioning.”

Thursday was the eighth game missed this season by Butler, who missed 22 of last season’s 82 games, as well as a play-in game and the Heat’s 4-1 first-round playoff ouster at the hands of the Boston Celtics.

In addition, Butler, 35, also has been limited to a pair of seven-minute appearances this season, one due to a November ankle sprain that kept him out the next four games, and then last Friday’s game against the Thunder.

Amid Butler’s absence have been reports of disenchantment with the Heat and a desire for a trade, with the Heat previously having shut down the possibility of an extension that the six-time All-Star remains eligible for through June.

In the wake of such conjecture, Heat President Pat Riley issued a statement Thursday that said, “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.”

The Heat’s three-game trip continues Saturday against the Hawks before concluding Sunday against the Houston Rockets.

The Heat are 4-4 in Butler’s absence this season. Jaime Jaquez Jr. has started in his place the past two games.

Jaquez stepped forward in Thursday night’s 89-88 victory over the Magic in one of his most complete performances of the season, a 15-point outing that included 3-of-5 shooting on 3-pointers and five steals.

“It meant a lot,” Jaquez said of helping fuel the victory. “It’s been something that I’ve been working on a lot, as far as the little things, trying to be the best defender I can be, on the ball, off the ball, doing all the little things to help our team win games. That’s really been my focus, just to keep getting back to that.”

Jaquez entered Thursday 11 of 45 on 3-pointers, with just two total conversions in his previous 10 games.

“I mean, it feels good to hit a few, I ain’t gonna lie,” he said. “But my teammates, they never told me to stop shooting. They always said to let it fly. That just gives me confidence. It’s something that I work on every single day.

“When they’re not going in, it’s tough. But to see a couple fall, it ends up feeling like the ocean. It’s been great just trusting in the work and just trusting that process.”

Erik Spoelstra said the overall performance is what resonated with the coaching staff.

“It’s not about the threes necessarily,” he said of the 2023 first-round pick out of UCLA. “The reason we drafted him and the reason he’s had success over the course of his college career and last year is he does winning things. And sometimes that can get clouded. It’s normal in this league. Everybody has narratives and expectations. It’s the last line in that box score, unfortunately.

“He’s at his best when he’s filling up a lot of the things, in the box score or not in the box score. And he just did a lot of winning things.”