The Miami Heat are resting star forward Jimmy Butler just three games into the regular season, but they are in compliance with the NBA’s new rules on resting players despite this.
At first glance, resting a player three games into the regular season would seem to be the type of thing the league’s new rules are designed to prevent. However, the Heat checked in with the league and, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, are in compliance.
The Heat consulted with the league on their plan for Jimmy Butler on this back-to-back to make sure they’re in compliance with the new Player Participation Policy. One of the factors involved was that Butler played in last night’s nationally televised game. https://t.co/mehtiIYYO0
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) October 28, 2023
Ultimately, the Heat are fully within their rights to rest Butler on Saturday night. They are playing back-to-back road games, and Friday’s game was nationally televised. The Heat would have been in trouble had they rested Butler for that one, but he played the full game.
The NBA has taken an active role in trying to minimize load management this season, but there will still be situations where veteran stars will sit out without the teams being punished. This case appears to be one of them.
