How quickly things change. A divorce seems imminent. There is only room for one of the two alphas, and the Jimmy Butler saga hit an all-time low in Miami.
The Miami Heat announced Friday they have banned the six-time All-Star for “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team” throughout the season, less than 24 hours after he held a bizarre news conference after the Heat lost to the Indiana Pacers, in which he did not hold back his feelings and made it known that he wants to be traded. While taking swift action against Butler’s conduct, they went on to say that they will listen to trade offers for him.
The Heat stated, “We have suspended Jimmy Butler for seven games for multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks.”
“Through his actions and statements, he has shown he no longer wants to be part of this team. Jimmy Butler and his representative have indicated that they wish to be traded, therefore, we will listen to offers.”
As stated previously, on Thursday, Butler did not mince words and made his intentions to leave Miami very clear in a postgame news conference. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Thursday that Butler indicated to the Heat that he would like to be traded. After being a relative no-show, scoring only nine points in his second game back from a five-game absence due to what was called an illness, Butler harshly criticized his lesser role with the team and did not bite his tongue when asked what he wants to happen.
“What do I want to see happen? I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball and wherever that may be, we’ll find out pretty soon. I want to get my joy back. I’m happy here off the court, but I want to be back to somewhat dominant, I want to hoop and I want to help this team win. Right now, I’m not doing that.”
When asked if he believes he can get that joy back in Miami, he responded with only two words, “Probably not.”
A pressing issue that led to Butler’s decision to request a trade, sources told Charania, was an implication from team officials Thursday that he had not played his hardest in the Heat’s victory Wednesday over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Embed from Getty ImagesHeat coach Erik Spoelstra did not play Butler in the fourth quarter of either game this week.
The suspension comes after several months of tensions between Butler and the Heat’s leadership, most notably team president Pat Riley.
The first major crack in the foundation occurred after the Heat were bounced out in the first round of the NBA playoffs against Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics in a five-game series. Butler sat out that entire series with a knee injury, then said in so many words that the team would have been victorious in the series if he had been available.
In response, Riley publicly chastised Butler and told him to “keep your mouth shut.” This was also after Riley announced the team would not extend Butler’s contract beyond this season.
More recently, there was a report on Christmas that Butler would prefer a trade from the Heat prior to the February 6 trade the deadline, although he had not taken the steps to make a formal request. Riley was upset, emphatically rejecting the idea, plainly stating, “We are not trading Jimmy Butler” in a statement. Butler did not seem to agree, as he basically shrugged when asked if he wants to remain with the Heat for the rest of the season. And then, two days later, he was telling the entire basketball world he has no joy for the game and does not think it can be repaired in Miami.
This is not Butler’s first rodeo being involved in a messy break-up with a team, and it is hard to see no teams showing interest in picking up a player of his caliber that possess his two-way talent.
