Saturday’s game against the Hawks marks the start of a back-to-back set for the Heat. Miami will close its three-game trip on Sunday against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center, with Butler’s status for that game also up in the air.

Miami Heat president Pat Riley has issued a defiant update on Jimmy Butler’s future at the franchise amid trade talk rumors.

First some bookkeeping, then a tasty morsel ... even as Pat Riley would prefer days ahead being a bit less spicy than these past few. When it comes to the he said/he said in the Jimmy Butler debate, one significant element somehow has gotten lost in the timing element going forward for the Miami Heat: It does not matter if Jimmy Butler is still on the Heat books with his $52.