Heat prepared to bring back Jimmy Butler after suspension if trade doesn’t materialize
While the Miami Heat continues to listen to trade offers for six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler, his Heat tenure isn’t officially over yet.
According to a source close to the situation, Butler will be expected to rejoin the Heat and play in games if he’s still on the roster at the end of his team-issued seven-game suspension. As of now, the Heat is not interested in having Butler remain away from the team while paying him the remainder of his $48.8 million salary for this season after his suspension is over.
Butler’s suspension began with Saturday’s 36-point blowout loss to the Utah Jazz at Kaseya Center and runs through the Heat’s upcoming six-game West Coast trip that begins Monday against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center (10 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun and NBA TV). He’ll be eligible to come back when the Heat returns to Miami to host the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 17.
The Heat announced Butler’s suspension Friday through a press release that said: “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.”
The Heat has had discussions with several teams in recent days regarding a potential Butler trade, according to a league source, but nothing has surfaced enticing enough for Miami to make a deal yet.
The Phoenix Suns are among the teams interested in trading for Butler, but the complication is that Suns guard Bradley Beal would very likely need to be involved in that deal to make the salary-cap math work. The Heat is not interested in acquiring Beal’s no-trade clause, meaning the Suns would need to find a third team to take Beal and Beal would also need to approve of being dealt to that team.
While the Heat is on the West Coast for its six-game trip, Butler is able to work out and use the Heat’s facilities at Kaseya Center even while suspended. Heat assistant coach Octavio De La Grana, player development coach Remy Ndiaye and assistant athletic trainer Armando Rivas did not travel with the team to the West Coast in order to be available to work with Butler in Miami during his suspension.
All of this comes after the Butler saga took a turn a few days ago, when he made clear that he’s no longer happy with being a member of the Heat.
“I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball,” Butler said late Thursday night after the Heat’s home loss to the Indiana Pacers. “And wherever that may be, we’ll find out here pretty soon, I want to get my joy back. I’m happy here — off the court. But I want to be back to someone dominant. I want to hoop and I want to help this team win. Right now, I’m not doing that.”
Does Butler believe he can get his joy back while remaining on the Heat’s roster? “Probably not,” Butler said.
Butler, 35, is averaging 17.6 points on 10.5 field-goal attempts, 5.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 55.2 percent from the field this season. That’s the fewest points and field-goal attempts he has averaged since his third NBA season in 2013-14.
Butler missed 10 of the Heat’s first 30 games this season — four because of a sprained right ankle, one because of right knee soreness and five because of a stomach illness — and is now serving his seven-game suspension.
According to multiple sources, Butler has been disappointed with the Heat primarily because Miami declined to give him a two-year, $113 million contract extension this past summer, a deal that would have run through the 2026-27 season. Butler was open to signing such a deal early in the negotiating window, but his mindset changed when the extension wasn’t immediately offered by the Heat.
Butler has a $52.4 million player option in his contract for next season.
The seven-game suspension will cost Butler a total of about $2.4 million in salary. The National Basketball Players Association made clear soon after the suspension was announced on Friday night that it intends to file a grievance to dispute the suspension, with the fine money held in escrow until a resolution is reached. This process could take up to a year, but could result in Butler getting some of the lost salary back.
If Butler is still on the Heat’s roster at the end of his suspension and he chooses not to report back to or play again for the Heat, he would be in danger of losing more of his salary for this season.
Despite what appears to be the inevitable messy ending to their relationship, Butler has already established himself as one of the greatest players in Heat history.
Butler, who is in the middle of his sixth season with the franchise, helped lead the Heat to three Eastern Conference finals appearances and two NBA Finals appearances since joining the team during the 2019 offseason. He has been selected for two NBA All-Star Games and made an All-NBA team three times during his first five seasons with the Heat.
The NBA’s trade deadline is Feb. 6.
This story was originally published January 5, 2025 at 11:38 PM.
