So, the drama continues. Which one? Why, the one that involves Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat? There is silence from the front office after Pat Riley’s “We are NOT trading Jimmy Butler” declaration. However, for the 35-year-old, leaving the team might still be one of the priorities before the trade deadline on Feb 6. But, for now, again, JB is trying to bypass matters with a “who knows?” reply.

Meanwhile, the only question that remains unchanged is: Should Miami trade Jimmy, it seems like a feasible idea, right? Lou Williams has an interesting take on this matter. “Well, listen, they’re both doing what they’re supposed to do. I think both sides and what’s being said is very appropriate. You know, Jimmy Butler is playing coy,” the ex-NBA player said on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back.

Lou Williams added: “He’s keeping his options open. He’s not overextending himself. That’s business. You know, when you want to get out of somewhere, you don’t disrespect them. He said he was going to be a professional as long as he’s in a Miami Heat uniform. He’s going to compete at the highest level that he can, that his body is going to give him.” 

Williams suggests Jimmy Butler is handling trade talks wisely. He is avoiding unprofessional behavior and staying focused on scoring for the team, keeping his chances with top teams intact.“If there’s even a conversation with him getting traded. He still has to keep that leverage in. Be open to that. Be a part of that conversation. For him to have a chance to go to one of these teams that he actually wants to go to.”

But Jimmy and the Heat’s mystery surrounding the trade has everyone hooked. Also, if you know the 6x All-Star forward’s nature, he loves attention.

Lou added: “[Jimmy Butler] is a guy that loves the attention. He said it himself. I love to have you guys in the dark. I love to have you operating in the gray area. You don’t know what’s going on because, to be real, it sounds like Jimmy doesn’t really know what’s going on.”

JB could’ve gotten as much as $113 million in his latest extension over two years, but did not. Instead, there were tensions in the offseason, reportedly and visibly with the fiery indirect back-and-forth between Riley and Butler. While the former’s public ‘NO’ to trade his talisman temporarily paused the rumor mill, it seems to have picked up pace again. Just a few days ago, the same panel of Lou and Parsons had to drop their takes on whether Jimmy could fit with the Golden State Warriors.

But the two former hoopsters seemed to have come to a conclusion that Butler might not be a good fit in the Bay, either. Steve Kerr’s side will definitely see an upgrade on paper should the playoff specialist move to GSW but the ‘win-now’ approach and extensive 3-point shooting tactic that brought them glory all these years would likely face similar drawbacks like it is now.

So, does Jimmy Butler really not know what’s going on?

Chandler Parsons joined the conversation and suggested: “He knows exactly what he’s doing here. And this is a hot headline that he clearly wanted because obviously when he says, who knows, he’s saying who like he doesn’t know.”

Wow! Did you even think things through this way? But then, we’re talking about Jimmy Buckets here, and he relishes the time when he’s in the spotlight. Working in the gray area, remember?

Parsons further added: “This is just a little chess match. This is what Jimmy Butler seems to be doing a lot of times. But listen, I said this before on our show, Pat Riley’s came out and I love him saying, I’m not trading him here. I would never do this before, but it’s becoming a distraction. So I believe now, do I agree with that? I don’t, I think this is running its course here. It is time to go. I think he’s just going to walk the minute he can anyway after the season.”

Besides, if the Miami Heat can get some value return for Jimmy while having an absolutely outstanding talent in Tyler Herro. The 24-year-old is having a breakthrough season in his sixth year with the team. Along with him starting more consistently than ever, his stat line has seen a steady uptick in almost every parameter! Keeping the team right in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference, pretty much without Jimmy Butler being consistent there and Bam Adebayo struggling a bit.

So maybe, it is indeed time to move on from Butler, who knows? We’ll leave the choice to Pat Riley and Co. and Butler himself.