For the 119th time since Jimmy Butler joined the Miami Heat, the team will play a game without him, but this time it’s different. Butler has been suspended for seven games by the Heat, deemed “conduct detrimental to the team.” The suspension starts with the game against the Utah Jazz, and the team has agreed to facilitate a trade. The National Basketball Players Association has spoken out on Butler’s behalf, calling the team’s actions “excessive and inappropriate.”
The suspension is expected to cost Butler around $2.4 million of his $48.8 million salary this season. The team has declined to comment, but players have expressed their feelings about the situation. “It’s disappointing when you see the organization and a player going head-to-head like that,” said Heat captain Bam Adebayo. “But the rest of us got to figure out how to win games.”
The fate of Butler’s future with the team is unclear. The Heat may try to trade him, but the rules of the collective bargaining agreement limit the ways teams can acquire players. Alternatively, Butler could become a free agent in the summer, allowing him to leave the team and exploring other options.
Since joining the Heat, Butler has averaged 21.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in 380 games, including playoffs. The team has won 59.7% of their games with him playing, compared to 49.2% without him. The tension between Butler and the team has been building, with Butler missing games and showing little enthusiasm in recent weeks.
The team’s decision comes after Butler said he didn’t want to find on-court joy again in Miami, which may have been his last official act as a member of the team. The Heat’s players have expressed their sadness about the situation, with Terry Rozier saying, “It sucks to see that he won’t be around.”