Jimmy Butler was suspended by the Miami Heat for the second time in three weeks, a move that adds to the possibility he has already played his final game for the franchise.
Butler drew the latest suspension — this one will last two games — for what the team in a statement Wednesday night called a “continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct and conduct detrimental to the team," including missing the Heat's flight to Milwaukee earlier in the day. The Heat were scheduled to play the Bucks on Thursday and at Brooklyn on Saturday.
The earliest Butler could play for the Heat again is Monday, at home against Orlando. And that would hinge on him still being on the roster, which seems far from guaranteed.
In Milwaukee on Thursday, where the Heat were prepping for the game against the Bucks, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra wouldn't discuss Butler specifically. But when asked about how to pivot quickly in the league when change comes, Spoelstra spoke plenty.
“The point that I’ve made to our team is get used to it. Get over it," Spoelstra said. “This is the NBA life. This is the life we chose. If you think it’s just going to be predictable, you’re really mistaken. I think it takes a mental fortitude and commitment just to focus on the task at hand. Nothing changes in terms of what the task is. We have a game tonight. We have enough continuity. We know what our identity is at this point.”
Butler told the Heat in recent weeks that he wants a trade, a demand he has not made publicly because league rules do not allow players to do so. Any player who makes such a demand known is risking a fine of up to $150,000.
But the Heat revealed that request when suspending him in early January for what they called conduct detrimental to the team, and said at that time that they will work to accommodate his trade request.
The NBA's trade deadline is Feb. 6.
Butler was banished for seven games earlier this month, costing him about $2.4 million in salary. Butler returned last week and has played in each of the last three Miami 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 its trips, and it's unclear if that was a factor for Butler.
The dates for the scheduled games on this Heat road trip coincide with a padel tournament in Miami, one that lists Butler as an honorary chairman and co-captain. Butler’s coffee company, Big Face, is also involved with the event. But it was not known if Butler planned on being present for that event in Miami and if that 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 primary issue that caused the fracture in the relationship was money; he’s eligible for a two-year, $113 million extension and the Heat never offered such a deal, largely because he’s missed about 25% of the team’s games since he arrived in 2019.
There were other factors. Butler has made no secret that he's not happy with what he says is his new role within the Heat offense. He didn't participate in his usual way during the introduction of the Heat starters for the last three games, and he has sat by himself at times during timeouts while not engaging in the huddle going on around the bench.
“There was a lot said by everybody, except for me, to tell you the truth,” Butler said after his first game back following the suspension. “We’ll let people keep talking. ... The whole truth will come out.”
The latest chapter of the Butler-Heat saga comes one day after Phoenix swung a deal with Utah to acquire three first-round draft picks that the Suns are expected to use as pieces in another trade — presumably one that would bring Butler to them. Such a deal for Butler would be complicated for the Suns, and likely would involve at least three and possibly even more teams to make all the pieces fit.
The Butler trade watch has gone on for weeks, and his hair color for some December games just happened to match the primary colors of Phoenix, Dallas, Golden State and Houston — the four teams that were most prominently mentioned as possible trade partners for Miami.
And for Tuesday’s game against Portland, Butler wore shoes tinged in orange — perfectly matching the Suns’ color scheme.
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AP Sports Writers Alanis Thames in Miami and Steve Megargee in Milwaukee contributed to this report.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press
