Jimmy Butler was set to return to the Miami Heat on Monday night from his latest suspension, but that is no longer going to happen.
Butler has been suspended indefinitely by the Heat, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports. The decision was made after Butler walked out of practice on Monday morning upon being told that he would be coming off the bench going forward.
The Heat informed Butler at their shootaround that they were planning to start Haywood Highsmith over him. Butler decided to leave practice, which led to the indefinite suspension.
Butler returned from a seven-game suspension on Jan. 17. He then played in two more games after that before being hit with another two-game suspension by the Heat for a “continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct and conduct detrimental to the team, including missing today’s team flight to Milwaukee.”
One troubling report shared more information about how disruptive the stunt was that led to Butler’s second suspension.
Butler has been openly seeking a trade from the Heat. He is determined to force the team’s hand ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Heat president Pat Riley initially said Butler would not be moved, but Miami has since engaged in discussions with teams about a possible trade.
Butler has a $52 million player option for the 2025-26 season. He has been trying to use that as leverage to get the Heat to trade him to a team of his choosing, even though he does not have a no-trade clause in his deal. Butler is supposedly not willing to play for one specific team that might have interest in him.
The situation with Butler is reminiscent of when the six-time All-Star forced a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2018. Butler ultimately got his wish in that scenario. With the situation in Miami getting uglier by the day, the same is likely to happen with the Heat.
