With another layer being added to the Jimmy Butler and Miami Heat saga, the team decided to suspend their star for the third time this season. It comes after Butler walked out of practice during a shootaround before the Heat’s Monday night matchup against Orlando. He will miss at least the next five games and will be without pay for an indefinite amount of time.
Butler can’t seem to stop getting suspended from the Heat. Prior to this most recent one, he was expected to return to the team’s starting lineup after completing his second suspension of the season. Butler had previously missed nine of Miami’s last 12 games due to suspensions, and now he will be away from the team for another stretch.
“The suspension is due to a continued pattern of disregard of team rules, engaging in conduct detrimental to the team and intentionally withholding services,” the Heat said in a statement regarding the suspension. “This includes walking out of practice earlier today.”
Butler’s first suspension was for seven games due to conduct that was deemed detrimental by the team. This included making it clear that he wanted to be traded as soon as possible, and saying that he wouldn’t find joy while playing in Miami. After a three-game return, Butler was then suspended again for missing a team flight.
Butler was out of the Heat’s last two games, but was expected to make a comeback on Monday night. During the morning shootaround, he heard that his starting spot would be taken by Haywood Highsmith, causing Butler to walk out of the gym. That resulted in his most recent suspension, which will last for at least the next ten days.
Butler has only played in five of Miami’s 15 games this month, and he had already missed multiple stretches of the season due to injury. While Butler wants to make his feelings clear that he isn’t happy with how things are going in the Heat organization, he is dropping his trade value in the process.
As seen many times in recent NBA history, stars have made it clear when they are unhappy in their current situations. Butler is no different, and has had an ongoing feud with the Miami front office for the past nine months. After multiple times speaking to the media, the Heat finally agreed to look for trade options for him, but nothing has come to fruition.
The Phoenix Suns have been at the top of Butler’s list of preferred destinations. In order for Butler’s nearly $50 million contract to financially work, the Suns would need Bradley Beal to waive a no-trade clause in his supermax contract. That scenario seems pretty unlikely, but Phoenix has made massive moves in recent years, so it shouldn’t be ruled out.
If the move to the Suns doesn’t work, teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors have been at the top of recent trade rumors. Miami has most recently lowered their asking price for Butler, but his suspensions aren’t making him look like a great addition to any of those teams.
Along with the suspensions, Butler is in the last year of a massive contract. He’ll most likely ask for another big deal from wherever he goes next, but there’s no telling if similar money is guaranteed. This season Butler is averaging 17 points per game, which is the lowest since he joined Miami in 2019. He has also only played in 25 games this year, due to a combination of injuries and team suspensions.
While Butler has made it clear that he wants to find a new basketball home, his performances on the court haven’t done him any favors. He simply doesn’t look like the same player, both mentally and physically, that led the Heat to two Finals appearances in the last five years.
Seeing Butler end his time with the Heat in this fashion just doesn’t feel right. He came to Miami with high hopes and delivered early on. His Finals run in the 2020 NBA Bubble remains one of the best playoff performances in recent years, and he followed it up with another Finals appearance against the Nuggets in 2023. At his peak, Butler was a top-ten player on both sides of the ball, and opponents around the league had trouble stopping him.
Butler doesn’t seem that fazed by the impacts of his outbursts, just wanting to make it clear that he wants out of Miami. His play has dropped off significantly, and it is tough to say that any team in the league will want to pay him the money he’ll be asking for. At 35 years old with a history of drama, Butler isn’t doing himself any favors with his recent actions that have been detrimental to the Heat.
Regardless, the team is fairing well without Butler. Led by Tyler Herro, along with the recent rise of rookie Kel’el Ware, Miami is currently sixth in the Eastern Conference standings.
The NBA trade deadline is on Feb. 6th, and Jimmy Butler may have already played his last game in a Miami Heat uniform.
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