Jimmy Butler was suspended by the Miami Heat for the second time in three weeks, a move that adds to the possibility that he has already played his final game for the franchise.
Butler received the latest suspension – this one will last two games – for what the team called in a statement Wednesday night “an ongoing pattern of disregard for team rules, insubordinate conduct and harmful conduct to the team,” including missing the Heat’s flight to Milwaukee. earlier in the day. The Heat were scheduled to face the Bucks on Thursday and at Brooklyn on Saturday.
The first Butler could play again for the Heat on Monday, at home against Orlando. And that would depend on him still being on the roster, which seems far from guaranteed.
On Thursday in Milwaukee, where the Heat were preparing for the game against the Bucks, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra did not speak specifically about Butler. But when asked about how to quickly pivot around the league when changes arise, Spoelstra talked a lot.
“The point I made to our team is to get used to it. Get over it,” Spoelstra said. “That’s the life of the NBA. This is the life we have chosen. If you think this will just be predictable, you are very wrong. I think it takes mental courage and commitment just to focus on the task at hand. Nothing changes in terms of task. We have a game tonight. We have enough continuity. We know what our identity is at this point.
Butler has told the Heat in recent weeks that he wants a trade, a request he hasn’t made publicly because league rules don’t allow players to do so. Any player who makes such a request known risks a fine of up to $150,000.
But the heat revealed this request by suspending him in early January for what they said was conduct detrimental to the team, and said at that time they would work to fulfill his trade request.
The NBA trade deadline is February 6.
Butler was banned for seven games earlier this month, costing him approximately $2.4 million in salary. Butler returned last week and played in each of Miami’s last three games, averaging 13.0 points in 29.3 minutes.
The Heat left for Milwaukee around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday. That departure time is earlier than Miami leaves for most of his trips, and it’s unclear if that was a factor for Butler.
The dates of the games scheduled for this Heat road trip coincide with a padel tournament in Miami, which lists Butler as honorary president and co-captain. Butler’s coffee company, Big Face, is also involved in the event. But it was unclear whether Butler planned to be at that event in Miami and whether it had anything to do with him missing the flight to Milwaukee.
Butler’s expected breakup with the Heat has been brewing for several weeks, if not months. The main issue that caused the relationship to break down was money; He is eligible for a two-year extension worth $113 million and the Heat have never offered such a deal, largely because he has missed about 25% of the team’s games since his arriving in 2019.
There were other factors. Butler has made it no secret that he is unhappy with what he says is his new role within the Heat’s offense. He did not participate in his usual manner during the Heat’s starters’ introductions over the past three games, and he sometimes sat alone during timeouts without engaging with the huddle happening around the bench.
“Everyone said a lot of things except me, to tell you the truth,” Butler said after his first game back from the suspension. “We’re going to let people keep talking.” …The whole truth will come out.”
The latest chapter in the Butler-Heat saga comes a day after Phoenix reached a deal with Utah to acquire three first-round picks that the Suns are expected to use as pieces in another trade — likely one that would bring Butler to them. Such a deal for Butler would be complicated for the Suns and would likely involve at least three teams, if not more, for all the pieces to fit together.
Butler’s trade surveillance has been going on for weeks, and his hair color for some December games matched the primary colors of Phoenix, Dallas, Golden State and Houston — the four teams most mentioned as possible trade partners for Miami.
And for Tuesday’s game against Portland, Butler wore orange-tinted shoes, matching the Suns’ color scheme perfectly.
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AP Sports Writers Alanis Thames in Miami and Steve Megargee in Milwaukee contributed to this report.
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