Jimmy Butler returned to the Heat from his team-issued suspension amid his trade request, but nothing has really changed for the star, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. The Heat are going to try to fulfill his request before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
In Butler’s return, he scored 18 points in a 20-point loss.
“I guess it’s basketball at this point,” Butler said. “I know what I’m expected to do while I’m here. I tried to do that to the best of my ability, but we are where we are.”
According to the AP’s Tim Reynolds, Butler simply said “we’ll hoop” when asked if he would play for Miami if he isn’t moved by the deadline.
“There was a lot said by everybody except for me, to tell you the truth,” Butler said after the game. “So we’ll let people keep talking like they know everything, like they have all the answers. And then sooner or later, the whole truth will come out. But until then, we’ll continue to let people talk. And if I’m here, I will get out there and play.”
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Pistons signed Ron Harper Jr. to a two-way contract on Jan. 6, giving him a roster spot on the team he grew up idolizing, according to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. Harper’s father was an assistant coach on Detroit from 2005-07. “Those are like my first core basketball memories,” Harper Jr. said. The junior Harper hasn’t yet appeared in a game with the Pistons but in 18 games in the G League this season, he’s averaging 12.7 points.
- With Karl-Anthony Towns dealing with an injury, Precious Achiuwa is playing key minutes for the Knicks. According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, he’s confident he’s an elite defender in the league. “It’s been an up-and-down season for me just in terms of getting hurt, coming back, playing a little, playing a lot. A lot of things in between,” Achiuwa said. “[But] if you know how to play, you know how to play. Center, power forward — whatever the case is.“
- The anniversary of the Pascal Siakam trade to the Pacers means the traded player exception the Raptors received — that had $5.1MM remaining — officially expired, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca writes. They used part of the exception to absorb Davion Mitchell‘s salary in the move that sent Jalen McDaniels to the Kings. That same trade brought in Jamal Shead and a 2025 second round pick from Portland.