Heat Issue Significant Suspension To Jimmy Butler

The Jimmy Butler saga continues for the Miami Heat with the NBA trade deadline less than two weeks away.

The saga recently took a new twist that makes it look even uglier.

Butler was about to return from a two-game suspension against the Orlando Magic but was informed that he wouldn’t be in the starting lineup.

According to ESPN insider Shams Charania, Butler walked out of shootaround and has now been suspended indefinitely by the Heat.

Jimmy Butler walked out of Heat shootaround this morning after being informed the team is planning not to start him — with Haywood Highsmith starting — moving forward, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/8I31eT524l

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 27, 2025

Butler made it clear weeks ago that he wants to be traded before the deadline, and he earlier was suspended for seven games for what the team termed detrimental conduct.

He came back for three games, only to be suspended for a second time because he missed a team flight.

Once upon a time, Butler was the rock of stability for the Heat, but now he is more like a landslide that is threatening to tear the organization apart.

He has made it known that he prefers to be sent to the Phoenix Suns, but little, if any, progress has been made on those trade talks.

In five previous seasons with Butler, Miami has reached the NBA Finals twice and nearly got to the championship series a third time despite arguably possessing less talent than rival Eastern Conference teams such as the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.

But Miami has exhausted the potential of its current core, and if it doesn’t trade Butler before the deadline, things could get even worse for the franchise.

He has a player option for next season that he can turn down in order to leave the team empty-handed as a free agent this offseason.

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