The Miami Heat are not pulling back any punches. They are suspending their star Jimmy Butler for two games after he missed a scheduled team flight for a road trip, ESPN’s Senior NBA insider Shams Charania reports.
Butler missed a Wednesday flight as the Heat traveled to Milwaukee for a Thursday night game against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks that will be nationally televised on TNT, according to the report. The report also stated that Butler had plans to join the team for the game, but the organization had other ideas, and he will instead be suspended for the road trip that also includes a Saturday game against the Brooklyn Nets.
The suspension is the second of the season for Butler, who has been mired in controversy amid reports that he has demanded a trade out of Miami. The Heat previously banned Butler on January 3 for seven games, citing “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team.”
A day before his initial suspension, Butler shared his desire to play for another team at a postgame news conference.
“I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball and wherever that may be, we’ll find out pretty soon,” Butler said on Jan 2. “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.”
Amid initial reports that Butler wanted out, Heat president Pat Riley said in December that “we are not trading Jimmy Butler.” The team changed their tune when his first suspension was levied. In their statement announcing Butler’s seven-game suspension, the Heat also announced that “we will listen to offers.”
Embed from Getty ImagesButler’s seven-game suspension was without pay and cost him an estimated $2.4 million in salary. The NBPA has stated that it will fight back and file an appeal in an attempt to reduce or eliminate the financial penalty.
Butler served the suspension despite the planned appeal and returned to the court with his teammates to play in the Heats’ three games since while averaging 13 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. For the season, Butler is averaging 17 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. His scoring average is his lowest since his third season in the league when he was a member of the Chicago Bulls in 2013-14.
A Heat team that has advanced to the NBA Finals twice with Butler as its leader, is off to a disappointing .500 start, 21-21, good for ninth place in the Eastern Conference as of Wednesday.
Butler, a 14-year veteran at 35 years-of-age, has been linked in trade rumors to the Phoenix Suns, and there is reportedly a mutual desire between Butler and the Suns to join forces. The Suns made a trade with the Utah Jazz on Wednesday to acquire draft capital that could be used to expedite a deal to acquire Butler.
The NBA trade deadline is February 6. In the meantime, dysfunction and drama continues to infiltrate on a Heat team that prides itself in team culture, so much that they bragged about it with writing on their home court at the Kaseya Center. This is certainly not the team culture that the franchise wants to portray.
When Butler was asked what would happen if he was still on the team February. 7, he smiled.
“We’re playing a lot of ‘what-ifs,’ ain’t we?” Butler said. “I’m going to hoop.”
