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Miami Heat visit Warriors with Jimmy Butler trade rumors swirling

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Miami Heat visit Warriors with Jimmy Butler trade rumors swirling


SAN FRANCISCO — The Miami Heat were at Chase Center on Tuesday night.

Jimmy Butler wasn’t.

The temperamental superstar’s feud with his organization reached a boiling point in recent days, with Butler’s demands to be traded resulting in a suspension handed down by the team that just so happened to coincide with its six-game swing up and down the West Coast.

By the time Miami returns home, could Butler be on his way out west?

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General manager Mike Dunleavy is evaluating the Warriors’ options ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, and it’s difficult to think of a more enticing possibility than the six-time All-Star and playoff showman. Steph Curry needs a sidekick, and who better than a dynamic scoring wing with a reputation for lockdown defense?

Well, it’s complicated.

Butler owns a home in Southern California, and he has reportedly singled out the Warriors as one of his preferred destinations. But the interest isn’t necessarily mutual. According to reports, the Warriors’ front office prefers other options, such as Bulls center Nikola Vucevic and Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith.

While Butler, 35, has taken a backseat to Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro in his 14th NBA season, he is still scoring 17.6 points per game on the highest efficiency of his career — 55.2% from the field). However, the Warriors aren’t alone in their hesitations. The questions regarding Butler’s availability, contract and motivation have made him a toxic asset.

Butler previously forced his way to Miami, and now he is under contract for $48 million this season with a $52 million player option for 2025-26. And while he has a well-earned reputation for crunchtime heroics, he hasn’t played more than 64 regular-season games since 2018-19. Before things boiled over this season, he earned a public rebuke last spring from Heat president Pat Riley, who said, “if you’re not on the court playing, you should keep your mouth shut.”

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On Tuesday, Brian Windhorst reported on ESPN that, so far, teams have offered “poo-poo platter” in exchange for Butler, who isn’t expected to sign an extension anywhere he is traded. Chris Haynes, of Clutch Points, reported that certain teams have been advised not to acquire him.

Butler’s gambit has backed Riley and the Heat into a corner. In the span of two weeks, Riley went from issuing an unprecedented public pronouncement that Miami was not even listening to offers for Butler to suspending him for “conduct detrimental to the team” while backtracking from his initial show of support.

“Through his actions and statements, he has shown he no longer wants to be part of this team,” the Heat wrote in a statement Friday. “Jimmy Butler and his representative have indicated that they wish to be traded, therefore, we will listen to offers.”

Last time we heard from Butler was after Miami’s loss to Indiana last week, and he said he had lost his “joy” for the game. Asked if he thought he could find it again in his current situation, he responded succinctly: “Probably not.”

“I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball, and wherever that may be, we’ll find out here pretty soon,” he told reporters.

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Few players have a stronger reputation for inspiring joy on the court than Curry, but it’s worth wondering if Butler is worth the trouble.

As the Warriors hover around .500, less than a month from the trade deadline, that is what Dunleavy and his associates will be deliberating.

 

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Miami Hurricanes arrive in Phoenix to continue Fiesta Bowl preparations

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Miami Hurricanes arrive in Phoenix to continue Fiesta Bowl preparations


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The Miami Hurricanes are looking to buck a bad trend. They’re 0-4 in the Fiesta Bowl.

Coach Mario Cristobal’s team gets its fifth shot this week as Miami (12-2) squares off against Mississippi (13-1) in the Fiesta Bowl at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 8 at State Farm Stadium. The school may be 0-4 historically, but there is plenty at stake. This Fiesta Bowl is serving as a College Football Playoff semifinal.

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The Hurricanes, the No. 10 seed in the 12-team playoff field, arrived at 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5, at the Ragsdale Executive Terminal of Sky Harbor Airport. The opposing team is expected 24 hours later.

The gathered crowd of 100 or so was made of members of the Fiesta Bowl Committee, easily identifiable in their yellow jackets, and their families.

In the past, there had been a welcome event in a tent adjacent to the runway. The coach typically made an opening statement, but players and coaches walked off the plane and straight to their buses parked nearby.

Players, dressed in white sweatsuits, filed off their American Airlines flight in single file on a blue carpet.

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The players will take part in a media day on Jan. 6 at a Scottsdale hotel, with the coaches talking to the media the following day, the eve of the contest.

The Hurricanes enter on the heels of a six-game winning streak. Their last loss came on Nov. 1 against SMU, a game decided in double overtime 26-20. They have surrendered just 17 points in their two postseason games.

The winner advances to the national championship game on Jan. 19 against the winner of the other semifinal, the Peach Bowl between Oregon and Indiana.



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This Miami Developer Is Leaning Into Miami’s Surging Mansion Market

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This Miami Developer Is Leaning Into Miami’s Surging Mansion Market


Naoshi Matsumoto has found a niche in the Miami luxury new-development scene—long dominated by glittering, amenity-packed condo buildings—in ultra-private, design-driven single-family waterfront homes.

As the founder of Sunland Group, the developer oversees architecture, construction and brokerage under a single umbrella, a setup that gives the firm unusual creative control in every step of building and selling a home. Given this level of autonomy, Matsumoto has shaped some of the city’s most luxurious stand-alone residences over the past decade.

His approach is on full display with his latest project: Marea Collection, four waterfront homes inside Belle Meade, an upscale gated enclave. Two of the houses Casa Vista and Casa Coral—each priced at $10 million—have hit the market. Casa Coral was developed in collaboration with the Chilean architect Gonzalo Mardones.

MORE: Castle Built for a Habsburg Outside Vienna Hits the Market for €33 Million

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With more high-net-worth buyers trading penthouses for stand-alone homes—drawn by privacy, space and the appeal of living directly on the water—Matsumoto has found himself at the center of one of Miami’s gradual shifts in taste. He spoke to Mansion Global about why some buyers are rethinking condo life, what they’re seeking instead, and how he sees the city’s next wave of waterfront architecture evolving in the years ahead.

Mansion Global: What drives a Miami’s luxury buyer to move away from condo living and toward a stand-alone home? 

Naoshi Matsumoto: High HOA fees that don’t provide the level of services buyers expect when they purchase a luxury condominium is the primary reason. We’re also seeing concerns about privacy, as well as the desire for a true waterfront lifestyle that enables buyers to house their personal boats in their backyard. It’s worth noting, too, that the price point of single-family waterfront homes today, like those in Marea Collection, is comparable to that of ultra-luxury condominiums. This makes the concept even more compelling to both current condo owners as well as those deciding between the two asset types.

Are condo owners expressing interest in the Marea Collection? 

Most of our buyer interest is from current luxury-condo owners. The majority of them note a desire for increased privacy and the opportunity for true waterfront living as the main reasons they are considering making the switch.

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How does Sunland Group’s vertically integrated model influence the way you design and deliver a home? 

The close collaboration and ongoing involvement between the architects, construction team and brokers lead to more unified decision-making, which streamlines every process. Each detail is analyzed from multiple perspectives, resulting in homes that are architecturally appealing, functional and thoughtfully designed.

From Mansion Global Boutique: How To Create Comfort in Winter’s Dark Months, According to Kendall Wilkinson

Indoor-outdoor living is central to your work. What core design principles guide your waterfront projects? 

We explore distinct modern expressions within a shared design language to give each home a unique identity while maintaining a cohesive aesthetic. Because this aesthetic is more minimal, it enables you to draw the outdoors in beautifully, which is crucial for leveraging a waterfront home’s most desirable aspect: the water. In this way, the surrounding areas, with the waterways and views, become a signature design element.

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We also rely heavily on a warm color palette, floor-to-ceiling windows, sliding glass doors, and multiple outdoor spaces to further integrate the outdoors. There is an inherent ease to waterfront living due to the desire to allow the natural landscape to take a more prominent role. These elements combined help blur the lines between indoors and out to create a sense of luxury and serenity.

Tell us about the Belle Meade neighborhood.

When we first came across Belle Meade and the four adjacent sites, we saw an immense opportunity, both in the amount of private waterfront access each residence would have, as well as the proximity to the open waterways. People not only want immediate access to water but also to be able to get out of the winding canals quickly and easily. Belle Meade enabled all of this, which is a rarity. The neighborhood is also an incredibly private and exclusive community, something buyers at this price point tend to appreciate. These elements, combined with a commute time of just 10 to 20 minutes to both Brickell and the Design District, make Belle Meade one of Miami’s best hidden gems.

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What’s influencing what today’s luxury buyers want? 

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Many luxury buyers, especially those relocating from other states, prefer a move-in-ready home to avoid the extended timelines associated with design and ground-up development. While some degree of personalization is expected, it typically occurs through interior design elements such as furniture, art, and lighting rather than through structural or material changes. 

Buyers are especially drawn to architectural elements such as refined wall paneling, purpose-designed niches, thoughtfully proportioned art walls, and spatial layouts that accommodate sculpture and large-scale artwork. They also place a high value on functional, open floor plans that allow luxury furniture pieces to be showcased as part of the overall spatial composition.

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Where do you see the greatest opportunity for the next wave of luxury single-family development in Miami? 

Many buyers are beginning to look toward lesser-known waterfront neighborhoods such as Belle Meade, where architectural character, lot sizes, and street layouts offer a more intimate, curated residential experience. As true waterfront parcels become increasingly scarce and values continue to rise, these emerging enclaves present both strong investment fundamentals and an appealing architectural setting.

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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.



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Hundreds of Caribbean flights canceled, leaving travelers stranded at Miami International Airport

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Hundreds of Caribbean flights canceled, leaving travelers stranded at Miami International Airport


Travel disruptions continued Sunday at Miami International Airport after hundreds of flights to and from the Caribbean were canceled, leaving passengers stranded, separated from their luggage, and scrambling to salvage vacation plans.

The Federal Aviation Administration closed airspace in and around Venezuela following the reported capture of Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, triggering a ripple effect across Caribbean travel routes.

By Sunday, long lines had formed inside MIA as travelers waited hours to track down luggage that had been sent ahead — even though their flights never took off.

“As you can see, there’s a lot of people, and apparently thousands and thousands of bags,” said Jennifer Heimann, who was traveling from Tampa.

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Heimann and her family were scheduled to sail on a catamaran in the British Virgin Islands. Their flight to St. Thomas was canceled, but their luggage still made the trip.

“They said, ‘Your bags are in St. Thomas,’ and I said, ‘Wait — our bags are there and we’re not?’” Heimann said. “We can’t even get a flight until Thursday, and they just sent the bags ahead.”

The family is now renting a car to drive back to Tampa and hoping their luggage eventually finds its way home.

Similar frustrations were echoed by other travelers across the terminal.

The Cookson family, traveling from Tyler, Texas, had their flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico canceled just before they were set to board a cruise.

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“They’re shipping our bags out to the Caribbean and not allowing us to retrieve them,” said Pamela Cookson. “We don’t know when we’re going to get our luggage.”

American Airlines says it added six additional flights out of Miami, bringing the total to roughly two dozen extra flights and nearly 5,000 additional seats to help impacted customers. Even so, many passengers told CBS News Miami the earliest rebooking available wasn’t until Thursday.

Susan Daniel, traveling from Little Rock, Arkansas to St. Croix, said the delays forced her family to make last-minute arrangements.

“We had to Uber, leave our bags, get an Airbnb, then come back today, take another Uber, and stand in this long line just to hopefully get our bags and our computers — everything we need,” Daniel said.

Some travelers reported waiting hours in one line, only to be directed into another long wait for their luggage. Others tried to make the best of the situation.

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“Guess we’re vacationing in Miami now for three days or something like that,” said Jake Boylin, who was traveling from St. Louis. “Then going back home and rescheduling the trip.”

The next unanswered question for many travelers: whether they’ll be reimbursed for canceled trips, hotels, and cruises.

Travel experts advise passengers to keep all receipts and documentation in case refunds or reimbursements become available.



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