"Never trust Pat Riley’s words" - NBA fans in frenzy over Heat president shutting down Jimmy Butler's trade buzz

This week, longtime NBA star Jimmy Butler indicated that he would prefer to be traded between now and the Feb. 6 trade deadline. With a number of potential destinations on the table, there has been tons of talk regarding where Butler may land between now and then. However, Miami Heat President of Basketball Operations Pat Riley has put the kibosh on the situation.

On Thursday, Riley released a statement that was relayed to fans via the Heat's account on X, formerly known as Twitter. It stated that while he ordinarily doesn't like to comment on trade talks, the Jimmy Butler trade saga has become such a distraction that he feels he has to comment.

"We usually don't comment on rumors, but all 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."

While his comment was seemingly meant to shut down trade rumors, some fans are of the mindset that Riley is using misdirection:

"Sounds like he will be traded. Never trust Pat Riley’s words," - One wrote.

"Do you know how many times we’ve heard a GM say they aren’t trading a player just to trade them a month later? This means nothing lol," - Another wrote.

"He said the same thing about Shaq," - One added.

Others agreed that Riley's comments may indicate a trade will happen:

"He’s definitely getting traded lol this really confirmed it," - One wrote.

"The fact that he gave a whole statement means something has been brewing," - One added.

"Yeah he definitely gone now basically saying he’s washed when he isn’t and carry a bums team again lol heat downfall," - Another added.

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"That's just the deal" - Erik Spoelstra reacts to Jimmy Butler trade rumors

Prior to Pat Riley's statement on the Jimmy Butler trade rumors, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was asked about the situation following Thursday's practice in Orlando.

The team is looking to build on a 110-95 win over Brooklyn on Monday. Meanwhile, Spoelstra was asked about the latest rumors surrounding a Jimmy Butler trade during a scrum with members of the press:

“That’s just the deal. You have to compartmentalize in this business. We want Jimmy here. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it. And it’s just unfortunate that you have to control or deal with a lot of the noise on the outside.

"In terms of this morning, this was a pretty focused group coming off of the last game that we came [to Orlando].”

Spoelstra said that he believes the more players and coaches discuss trade rumors, the more fuel is poured on the fire. Because of that, he didn't seem interested in speaking further about the trade talks.

The latest reports indicate Butler and his team haven't formally requested a trade. However, with plenty of time between now and the Feb. 6 deadline, that could very well wind up changing.