Although Charania previously identified the Suns, Warriors, Mavericks, and Rockets as favored landing spots for Butler, he and Windhorst now say the forward doesn’t intend to give the Heat a list of preferred destinations and that he’s open to going anywhere.

Butler, who plans to take part in team activities and do what the Heat ask of him during the process, believes he can make any team a contender, regardless of where he’s sent, sources tell ESPN.

According to Charania and Windhorst, Riley and Heat owner Micky Arison have met with Butler’s representation in recent days in the hopes of bridging the divide between the two sides, but those efforts weren’t successful.

Confirming previous reports, ESPN’s duo says there has been tension between Butler and the Heat since the team indicated near the start of the offseason that it wouldn’t be offering him an extension and since Riley scolded Butler for his that the Celtics and Knicks would “be at home” if he had been able to play in the postseason. Riley and Butler’s relationship has yet to recover, sources tell ESPN.

: For a second straight night after returning from a five-game absence, Heat star Jimmy Butler appeared passive and disengaged during his time on the court on Thursday, writes

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

Speaking to reporters after Thursday’s loss, head coach Erik Spoelstra referred to Butler’s performances as “aberrational,” suggesting that he was more concerned about his club’s poor defensive play, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald Spoelstra added that the team needed to get the ball into Butler’s hands more to get him going,  Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

Butler’s demeanor is being monitored closely since a indicated he preferred a trade out of Miami and Heat president Pat Riley  a day later that the club wouldn’t be moving the 35-year-old. When he rejoined the team on Tuesday, Butler that he was “happy” and intended to make the most out of his current situation. However, he didn’t exactly strike the same tone in his post-game media session on Thursday.

“I feel like I did my job, or what at least my job is now,” Butler said when asked about his performance (k via Wes Goldberg of Locked on Heat). When a reporter mentioned Spoelstra’s comments about getting the ball in his hands more, Butler shook his head and replied, “That ain’t gonna fix it.”

“I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball,” Butler said when asked what he wants to see happen next. “Wherever that may be. We’ll find out here pretty soon. But I want to get my joy back. I’m happy here off the court, but… I want to hoop and I want to help this team win. Right now I’m not doing that.”

Asked by a reporter if he can get his on-court joy back in Miami, Butler responded, “Probably not.”

The Heat, who were underwhelmed by their options for Butler on the trade market, had hoped to put the issue to bed when Riley said in a statement last Thursday that the six-time All-Star wouldn’t be going anywhere. The goal at that point was to focus on the current season and wait until the summer to figure out Butler’s future. He holds a $52.4MM player option for 2025/26 that he reportedly plans to decline.

However, given how the last two games – and Butler’s latest media session – have gone, it’s getting increasingly more difficult to imagine him being content with playing out the season in Miami. With five weeks still to go until the February 6 trade deadline, the Heat front office figures to be weighing its next move.