Caron Butler to Miami Heat can become a reality in free agency – NBA Update
Dallas Mavericks forward Caron Butler has stoked the fire of a possible interest from the Miami Heat.
The small forward will be a free agent when the NBA lockout ends and is widely expected to remain with NBA World Champions, the Dallas Mavericks. However, he had still left the door a open for a return to his old hunting ground.
Butler spoke after appearing in a charity game organized by Miami Heat super stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. He played for around 12 minutes at the Florida International University court, but wasn’t able to register on the score sheet.
He had the chance to speak with Heat players at the South Florida All-Star Classic on Saturday night and when FOX Sport asked him whether Miami was on his list of possible destinations, the answer was an abrupt "Yes."
Butler started his NBA career with the Heat back in 2002 and spent another year with the side before moving to Los Angeles. He admitted that "It'd be interesting," if there was interest in his services from Miami when the free agency begins.
The player however also emphasized his love for the Mavericks, who supported him through a tough time with injuries. Butler formed part of a gritty group at Dallas that went on to win the NBA World Championship last season, beating Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
He would love to return to that side, but with the free agency and a new, possibly more restrictive, salary cap set to be introduced, he wasn’t really sure what would happen. The forward didn’t want to mention the names of other teams, but admitted that circumstances could change and so could his destination.
"That's pretty much it, I don't want to throw no (other) teams out there. But I am open to any suggestions."
He also revealed correspondence with Dwyane Wade, something that could spell a tilt towards Miami when the time to make a decision comes.
"Me and Dwyane, we always talk about a lot of things. So anything can happen," Caron said. He has been a friend of Wade for quite some time.
Wherever the forward plays next season, he would like to perform a more meaningful role in his team’s success. He wasn’t able to contribute to the Mavericks during the playoffs due to injury and had his teammates to thank for making up the loss by elevating their game.
His knees are now "Good," and he even went on to call them"100" percent.”
The bottom line, though, was that Butler was "Ready to play. Anxious to play."
Where that might be is anyone’s guess just at the moment.
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