By Associated Press’s Tim Reynolds
Miami After being suspended, Jimmy Butler was back. Once more.
The Miami Heat subsequently suspended Butler. Once more.
The Heat have suspended Butler for the third time this month, and this time it began essentially as the second one was coming to a close. In preparation for a game against the Orlando Magic, the organization announced on Monday that Butler had departed Monday’s morning shootaround practice early. The team says the punishment will last at least five games, but it is currently indeterminate.
On Monday, Butler was supposed to return from his second suspension, but instead he received a third one. A person with knowledge of the matter said that Butler was informed at the shootaround that he would not be returning to the starting lineup for Monday’s game. The individual, who talked to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team did not make that information public, claimed that he departed the shootaround shortly after.
Butler missed a team flight to Milwaukee last week, which resulted in a suspension for Miami’s remaining two games.
Prior to Monday, Butler had missed nine of the previous 12 Miami games and 14 of the previous 19 games due to the suspensions. The first was a seven-game punishment for actions the team considered harmful, and the second was a two-game suspension.
Even before the most recent suspension was revealed, there were some doubts about Butler’s future role as a starter or non-starter. Ironically, Butler and his then-Chicago colleague Dwyane Wade critiqued the Bulls’ play in a game against Miami on Monday, January 27, 2017, precisely eight years ago. Since then, Butler has not left the bench in a game.
Butler has started all 560 of his games, including postseason games.
A few hours before the most recent suspension was revealed, Heat guard Tyler Herro responded, “It kind of feels normal now at this point,” at Monday morning’s shootaround when asked what it’s like to have Butler available again following a ban. It is what it is, sort of, but nothing is certain. All we need to do is be prepared to play the cards that are given to us tonight. All we need to do is be prepared to leave.
Miami is making an effort to accommodate Butler’s request for a trade. Due in large part to the league’s aprons salary levels established as part of the new collective bargaining agreement, which limit the ways in which higher-spending teams can make specific moves, moving Butler and his $48.8 million salary this season is probably going to be more difficult than it would have been in previous seasons.
The story, which has been going on for almost two months, is expected to reach a conclusion in the next week and a half. Given that the NBA trade deadline is February 6, Monday might have been one of Butler’s last home games in Miami.
Miami has just six games remaining until the trade deadline, including Monday, which increases the likelihood that Butler won’t play for the team again.
The Heat’s next game is against Cleveland at home on Wednesday. The Nets game is scheduled on February 7, one day after the deadline, and they depart for a four-game road trip that includes stops in San Antonio, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn.
Throughout this process, Butler has stated time and time again that he still has a deep affection for Miami, both on and off the court.
While attending a padel tournament that he co-chaired this past weekend, he declared, “I love this city with everything that I have.”
For him, the team is the problem. Last summer, Butler qualified for a two-year, $113 million extension, but the Heat haven’t extended their offer to him. Following the previous season, Heat president Pat Riley stated that the organization was hesitant to make the transaction because Butler had missed around one out of every four Miami games since joining the team.
On Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in Miami, Miami Heat player Jimmy Butler (22) tries a 3-pointer while Josh Hart (3) of the New York Knicks defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game. (Photo courtesy of Lynne Sladky)AP
Butler declared going into the season that he was not disappointed that the agreement had not been completed. The organization revealed earlier this month that Butler requested a trade, something he is not permitted to do publicly by league regulation, suggesting that his position has altered in recent weeks.
This season, Butler is scoring 17 points per game on average. On December 16, he scored 35 points, pulled down 19 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists in one of the Heat’s greatest statistical performances ever against Detroit.
Butler is averaging 9.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in his six games since then, including one in which he left in the first quarter due to illness, as of Monday. The National Basketball Players Association intends to contest the fact that he has since lost at least $3 million in pay as a result of the sanctions.
https://apnews.com/hub/nba is the AP NBA.