The Miami Heat on Friday suspended forward Jimmy Butler 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,’ the Heat added.
The statement from the team was not attributed to a specific member of the organization. It finished with: “Jimmy Butler and his representative have indicated that they wish to be traded, therefore, we will listen to offers.”
The suspension will cost Butler $2.35 million, and he has the right to file a grievance. The National Basketball Players Association said it will do so, calling the seven-game suspension ‘excessive and inappropriate.’
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The Heat broached the idea of a suspension after that game, and then they lost to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday.
On Dec. 26, as talks of Butler’s future with the team increased, Heat president Pat Riley released a statement: “We will make it clear – We are not trading Jimmy Butler.”
It may have been Riley’s intention to keep Butler with Miami through the remainder of the season – the Heat are 17-15 and in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. They are among a group of teams hovering around .500 who could earn a fourth seed in the playoffs or fall into the play-in games.
But circumstances have changed.
Butler’s role with the Heat this season is diminished, which has led, in part, to his frustration. Last season, Butler averaged a team-high 20.8 points on 13.2 shots and a 49.9% shooting mark from the field and added 5.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game and had an usage rating – the percentage of offensive possessions that end with that player – of 23.5.
This season, Butler averages 17.6 points on 55.2% shooting but just 10.5 shots per game and an usage rating of 20.3. His minutes have fallen from 34 per game last season to 30.8 this season. Still, the Heat are better with Butler on the court (Miami outscores opponents by 4.3 points per 100 possessions with him on the court vs. being outscored by less than a point with him on the bench).
After the Pacers game, Butler told reporters, “I want to see me getting my joy back playing basketball. Wherever that may be, we’ll find out here pretty soon. 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, and right now I’m not doing it.”
Can he rediscover that joy with the Heat? “Probably not,” Butler answered.
Butler is under contract for 2025-26 at $52.4 million for the season but has a player option to become a free agent after this season.
Butler missed five games from Dec. 21 through Dec. 29 with an illness before returning to action Wednesday and now will miss games through Jan. 15. That includes a six-game West Coast trip.