PHOENIX – What started as a situation to keep an eye on for the Phoenix Suns may have turned into a situation to put all your chips in.

Miami Heat F Jimmy Butler returned Wednesday after a nearly two-week absence from the team due to a reported illness — and the former All-NBA sophomore has struggled mightily in that back-to-back situation.

Butler scored a measly 9 points in each of the two contests – and he made a statement that is sure to turn heads in the NBA world.

After being seen sitting on the bench at key moments of the game instead of standing up with his teammates, he attended the post-match press conference to make his grievances clear.

According to the press conference:

“What do I want? …I want to reclaim my joy…Wherever that may be, we’ll find out soon. I’m happy here – off the field… I want to help this team win; at the moment I’m not me”

Butler also responded “probably not” when asked if he could imagine regaining the same joy in Miami – that saga has turned very ugly just days after top Heat manager Pat Riley made a statement saying which seemingly confirmed that the six-time All-Star would be staying with the franchise for the remainder of the season.

The 36-year-old Butler has been of great interest to the Suns over the last three weeks – insider John Gambadoro explained that a move is possible if the situation does not improve by the end of January.

The Suns’ recent performance – they’ve won just three games since the start of December – could end up forcing the issue here – and it seems like there’s even more noise being made on Butler’s front.

ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news just minutes ago that Butler has indicated that he would both like the Heat to trade him and that he would play somewhere other than Miami.

This could ultimately complicate a deal with Phoenix, as Butler’s openness to playing for anyone could allow Miami to accept the best offer on the table, and it would be questionable whether Phoenix could pull it off.

The trade deadline is February 6th, but expect a trade this Sage – whether to Phoenix or not – in much less time.