In what can only be described as a frenzied 24 hours in the NBA that began with an unprecedented blockbuster trade happening between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, having superstars Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis swap squads, rumblings of even more trades keep piling on as the trade deadline looms.

Now, reports reveal that Jimmy Butler, the Miami Heat star who’s been somewhat of a thorn in Heat President Pat Riley’s back for the past couple of months (the feeling’s reportedly mutual for Butler), is not interested in signing an extension with the Golden State Warriors, who’d been frontrunners to acquire Butler. A post by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst states, “The Heat’s Jimmy Butler has communicated to the Warriors that he’s unwilling to sign an extension there & therefore trade talks to send him to Golden State have ended for now, sources told ESPN.”

This is significant as any team would want Butler to commit for a longer-term past his impending free agency, hence attempting to lock down his signage for the extension. Butler’s unwillingness to do that would likely deter most teams’ interest in him. This is also a direct contradiction to Butler’s previously reported sentiments where he’d made it known that he was “open to playing anywhere other than Miami.” His not acquiescing to extensions suggests that there are specific teams where he would prefer to go.

And so, we’re back to square one and the Miami Heat v Jimmy Butler saga continues. The NBA trade deadline is only a couple of days away. If Miami and Jimmy aren’t able to come to an agreement before then, it’s going to be a long rest of the season for the star and the Floridian NBA franchise.