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After missing two games due to an illness and three due to return-to-competition reconditioning, Heat\u00a0<\/span>forward Jimmy Butler<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>rejoined the team on Tuesday, participating in practice and telling reporters that he\u2019ll play in Wednesday\u2019s game vs. New Orleans.<\/p>\n As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>relays, Butler also spoke to the media about last week\u2019s ESPN report suggesting that he prefers to be traded<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>out of Miami. Heat president Pat Riley\u00a0<\/span>announced<\/a> a day after that report that the club wouldn\u2019t be trading its star forward.<\/p>\n \u201cDoes it matter?\u201d\u00a0<\/span>Butler said Tuesday when asked if he prefers a trade. \u201cI honestly do not care about getting traded, where I\u2019m supposed to go, who\u2019s saying what\u2026. All of that is out of my control anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n Reporters in Miami posed a series of questions related to Butler\u2019s future, including whether he\u2019d be content if he\u2019s not traded this season, whether it\u2019s in his and the Heat\u2019s best interests to have an amicable divorce in the summer of 2025, and whether he wants to be in Miami. In each case, he began his answer by saying,\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n The 35-year-old also said he\u2019s \u201chappy\u201d and \u201cin a good space,\u201d adding that he\u2019ll defer to Riley on roster decisions.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, I\u2019m here and I\u2019m to make the most of it,\u201d Butler said.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI am going to compete and I\u2019m going to win. It\u2019s a lot of talk, a lot of noise, which I\u2019m cool with. It doesn\u2019t bother me at all. I love that. I thrive at it. It keeps you all wondering, the world wondering. It\u2019s good to be talked about. Even better to be wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Asked if he and\/or his agent have talked to Riley, Butler offered no comment, simply replying, \u201cNext.\u201d<\/p>\n While Butler\u2019s remarks suggest he doesn\u2019t intend to take the scorched-earth route he did six years ago in Minnesota to force a trade, he also passed on the opportunity to put the issue to bed, offering vague responses and not outright denying that he prefers a trade. Despite Riley\u2019s statement last Thursday about not trading Butler, this still looks like a situation worth keeping an eye on as the February 6 trade deadline nears.<\/p>\n In addition to addressing the trade rumors, Butler also spoke about his five-game absence, explaining that he was \u201cpretty messed up\u201d as a result of a bad stomach illness, but that he\u2019s feeling better now and looking forward to getting back on the court. It\u2019s possible Miami will be down a player or two as a result of\u00a0<\/span>Sunday\u2019s altercation<\/a> vs. the Rockets \u2014 the NBA has yet to announce suspensions and\/or fines \u2014 so Butler\u2019s return should be a welcome one.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n