Last week, Miami Heat team president Pat Riley said in a statement that six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler will remain in Miami for the foreseeable future.
“We are not trading Jimmy Butler,” were Riley’s exact words.
Apparently, sportsbooks don’t care much about statements.
Despite Riley’s stance, DraftKings Sportsbook has posted odds for Butler’s next team after the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Let’s take a look at those odds as of Dec. 29.
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Heat: -300 (bet $10 to win $13.33 total)
Warriors: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
Rockets: +650 (bet $10 to win $75 total)
Suns: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)
Mavericks: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Pistons: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Kings: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Lakers: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Riley’s statement comes on the heels of a recent ESPN report that Butler prefers to be traded before the Feb. 6 deadline, with the Warriors and Suns at the top of his preferred destinations.
Butler, 35, has not taken the floor for Miami since Dec. 20, as he deals with an ankle injury and an illness, according to the team.
Butler is in his sixth season with the Heat, and has guided Miami to the NBA Finals twice. The Heat lost to the Lakers in 2019-20 and then to the Nuggets in 2022-23.
The oddsmakers appear to have at least taken heed of what Riley had to say, as ButIer is favored to remain in Miami. But if he were to ultimately be traded, four Western Conference teams have the next shortest odds to land his services, highlighted by the Warriors, who are second on the oddsboard.
The Heat currently sit seventh in the Eastern Conference standings. Meanwhile, the Warriors are 10th in the West, after going 4-12 in their last 16.
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