Miami Heat president Pat Riley has no intention of trading Jimmy Butler.

A day after it was reported Butler wanted to be traded, Riley said in a statement Thursday that the team won't trade him.

Butler has not officially asked the Heat to be traded, but ESPN reported Wednesday that he wants to be dealt by the league's February 6 trade deadline. Phoenix, Golden State, Houston and Dallas are his preferred destinations.

In a rare move by Riley, the team president quickly took the opportunity to extinguish those rumours, saying a trade isn't happening.

"We usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches," Riley said in a statement. "Therefore, we will make it clear - We are not trading Jimmy Butler."

If Miami chooses not to trade Butler, the Heat run the risk of him leaving the team next summer as a free agent and would get nothing in return. He is eligible for an extension that would guarantee him $113million for the next two seasons.

The Heat play the Magic in Orlando on Thursday, but Butler is not with the team. Miami said Wednesday that he needed time to recondition after missing the last two games with an illness, though it's uncertain when he will re-join the team.

A six-time All-Star, Butler has twice led Miami to the NBA Finals, and he's averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists this season.

His ability to stay healthy is a bit of a concern, however. He has missed seven of Mami's 27 games this season, and in the last four seasons, the 35-year-old has appeared in more than 60 games only once.