The Heat said Friday that Jimmy Butler will remain in Miami for the final two games of their road trip before rejoining the team next week.
Miami visits the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday and the Houston Rockets on Sunday. They are back home on Wednesday to play the New Orleans Pelicans.
The team is citing a return to competition for Butler’s absence, the same reason he missed Thursday’s win over the Orlando Magic.
Friday’s update came a day after Heat president Pat Riley said the team will not trade Butler this season. League sources previously told ESPN’s Shams Charania that six-time All-Star Butler favors a trade from Miami before the Feb. 6 deadline, and that he is open to trade destinations such as the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets.
“We normally don’t comment on rumors, but all of 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.
Butler sprained an ankle last Friday in Miami’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He missed the remainder of that game and the next two Heat games — at the Magic on Saturday and against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday — but with illness, not the ankle, cited as the reason.
Butler, 35, is averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists this season. He is one of the NBA’s elite competitors and a consistent postseason performer. His teams made the playoffs in twelve of his first thirteen seasons, including the previous five seasons in Miami, where he led the Heat to two NBA Finals berths and one additional Eastern Conference finals appearance.
Josh Richardson (heel) also will not face the Hawks, the team said Friday.
This report used information from The Associated Press.
