Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler has been the center of a few trade talks this week, but he doesn't seem to mind.
A report from ESPN's Shams Charania circulated on Tuesday stating that the Heat would be "open to listening to offers" from teams interested in trading for Butler, but the deal has to be "right" for it to work out during the season as the trade window opens on Dec. 15. The report also included three teams Butler is reportedly interested in going to: the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets.
When asked about this report on Wednesday, Butler admitted the rumors don't bother him. He didn't offer any update regarding the trade speculation, though.
“It’s fine with me,” Butler said, via the Miami Herald. “It doesn’t bother me one bit and I do appreciate it. I appreciate going out there and hooping and I appreciate being efficient, being effective and helping my team win. I don’t ever take playing basketball for anybody for granted.
"I actually like it. It’s good to be talked about. I don’t think there’s such a thing as bad publicity to a point. But if somebody is talking about me getting traded, that’s a lot.”
Butler may not be traded mid-season, but he will become a free agent after the 2024–25 ends. So, him leaving Miami at this point seems like a "when" and not necessarily an "if."