10:22 p.m.: According to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst, Butler has indicated to the Heat that he wants to be traded.

Although Charania previously identified the Suns, Warriors, Mavericks and Rockets as preferred landing spots for Butler, he and Windhorst now say the forward has no intention of giving the Heat a list of preferred destinations and that he is open to anything.

Butler, who plans to participate in team activities and do whatever the Heat ask of him during the process, believes he can make any team a contender regardless of where he is sent, sources tell ESPN.

According to Charania and Windhorst, owners of Riley and Heat Mickey Arison have met with Butler’s representation in recent days in hopes of bridging the gap between the two sides, but those efforts have been unsuccessful.

The ESPN duo confirms previous reports, saying there has been tension between Butler and the Heat since the team indicated early in the offseason that it would not offer him an extension and because of Riley Butler’s claim that the Celtics and Knicks would do this, scolded him for “being at home” when he could have played in the postseason. Riley and Butler’s relationship has yet to heal, sources tell ESPN.

9:54 p.m.: For the second consecutive year after returning from a five-game absence heat star Jimmy Butler He appeared passive and disinterested during his time on the court Thursday, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Butler has scored just 18 points on 11 shot attempts overall in Miami’s last two games and has spent much of his time in the corner without the ball in his hands. While his quiet night didn’t stop the Heat from picking up a win over New Orleans on Wednesday, the club was soundly outscored by Indiana on Thursday and Butler went a team-worst minus-27 in his 27 minutes of action.

Speaking to reporters after Thursday’s loss, head coach Erik Spoelstra According to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter links), he described Butler’s performances as “abnormal,” suggesting he was more concerned about his club’s poor defensive play. Spoelstra added that the team needs to get the ball into Butler’s hands more to get him going, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets.

Butler’s behavior is being closely watched as a Christmas report suggested he favored a move between Miami and the Heat president Pat Riley announced a day later that the club would not move the 35-year-old. Upon rejoining the team on Tuesday, Butler told reporters he was “happy” and intended to make the most of his current situation. However, he didn’t strike quite the same tone in his postgame media session on Thursday.

“I feel like I’ve done my job, or at least what my job is now.” said Butler when asked about his performance (Twitter video link via Wes Goldberg of Locked on Heat). When a reporter mentioned Spoelstra’s comments about getting his hands on the ball more often, Butler shook his head and replied: “That won’t fix the problem.”

“I want to regain my joy in playing basketball” Butler said when asked what should happen next. “Wherever that may be. We’ll find out here soon. But I want to regain my joy. I’m happy here off the court, but… I want to play basketball and help this team win. I’m not doing that at the moment.”

When asked by a reporter if he could regain his joy on the field in Miami, Butler replied: “Probably not.”

The Heat, reportedly unconvinced of their options for Butler on the trade market, had hoped to resolve the issue when Riley said in a statement last Thursday that the six-time All-Star wasn’t going anywhere. The goal at this point was to focus on the current season and wait until the summer to figure out Butler’s future. He holds a $52.4 million player option for 2025-26, which he reportedly plans to decline.

However, given how the last two games have gone – and Butler’s recent media session – it’s becoming increasingly difficult to imagine him being content to play out the season in Miami. With five weeks remaining until the February 6 trade deadline, the Heat front office is weighing its next move.