The latest news on the Jimmy Butler trade front came on Friday night when the star swingman returned to action for the Miami Heat after a seven-game suspension, scoring 18 points in 33 minutes of action, albeit in a 20-point defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.

Apart from that, things remain the same, as the latest reporting on the matter indicates that Miami wants to trade Butler but won’t do so just to appease him if the trade return isn’t up to par (via the Miami Herald):

While the Heat prefers to get a deal done sooner rather than later because Butler’s wish to be traded has become clear, league sources have emphasized that the Heat won’t act out of desperation and will only accept an offer it feels helps the team now and moving forward. In any Butler trade, the Heat wants to acquire a quality player (or players) who can help the team this season. That will be the top priority for Miami. But the Heat also doesn’t want to take back long-term salary that’s going to clog its salary cap for the 2026 offseason, unless it’s for top-end All-Star talent. Draft capital is also critical for the Heat, as it currently only has one unprotected first-round pick that it can deal away.

Butler also declined to comment when asked if the situation with the Heat was fixable, and also said that eventually, “the truth” would come out:

Another recent report on the Butler front said that the Toronto Raptors would be willing to help facilitate a Butler trade (via the Toronto Star):

The Raptors aren’t driving the Jimmy Butler sweepstakes that is consuming NBA fans who live and die on the speculation that is about to engulf the league ahead of the trade deadline. But they’d sure like to have a say in how it all ends. Talking to a handful of people around the league — all granted anonymity because none have the ultimate say in how the saga ends — it is obvious the Raptors are hoping to insinuate themselves into the conversation.

To get what? The Raptors don’t want to take much longer-term money in a trade but if they had to take one amount next season while adding draft capital, they most assuredly would. It’s the process they are pursuing right now and it is likely the only way they’ll be players on the market before the Feb. 6 deadline. There are no names being kicked around but there are definitely concepts being discussed.

According to the New York Times, Butler has not ruled out playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, pushing back on a previous report that Butler didn’t want to play in Milwaukee:

And while it remains unclear which teams are truly willing to get into the Butler business, two league sources insisted that the Milwaukee Bucks have not, contrary to reports, been told by Butler’s camp that he doesn’t want to play there.

Another report earlier in the week from Chris Haynes said that Miami had considered changing the designation on Butler’s suspension, which would have cost the star wing even more money:

The Miami Heat are considering changing Jimmy Butler’s supension designation from conduct detrimental to team’ to ‘refusal to provide services’, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported. However, such a change will double the fine tally for the player. The designation remains the same, but is also fluid, Haynes noted.

Finally, ESPN dropped a bombshell article on Friday morning indicating how the feud between Butler and the Heat could be on the verge of getting explosive.

There’s a whole lot on the Butler trade front coming out pretty much daily at this point, so just click on the link below to read up on the latest on this dramatic saga.

For the latest Jimmy Butler trade rumors and contract info, click here.