For the 119th time since Jimmy Butler joined the Miami Heat, the team played a game without him. This time, it was a disaster. Butler was suspended by the Heat for seven games, citing conduct detrimental to the team, and he’s likely done playing for the team. Game 1 of the suspension saw the Utah Jazz, who entered with a 7-25 record, take a 43-point lead and win 136-100. The Heat outrebounded the Jazz 57-32 and lost by the sixth-biggest margin in franchise history.
Butler has not commented publicly on the suspension, and the National Basketball Players Association spoke out on his behalf, calling the Heat’s actions “excessive and inappropriate.” The suspension could cost Butler about $2.4 million of his $48.8 million salary this season.
The Heat started a new lineup without Butler, featuring Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro, Haywood Highsmith, Nikola Jovic, and Bam Adebayo. Butler’s locker remains intact, with shower shoes and a few items left as he is still technically part of the team.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra emphasized focusing on the team’s current lineup and quieting the distractions surrounding Butler’s suspension. The team faces the Jazz again on Thursday in Salt Lake City, and Spoelstra knows that the team’s consistency in their program won’t change with Butler’s absence.
Trading Butler will be a challenge due to the collective bargaining agreement’s restrictions on acquiring players. The Heat may simply let Butler leave as a free agent this summer, which would open up avenues to acquire new players before next season.
Butler averaged 21.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in 380 games with the Heat, including playoffs. He became eligible for a two-year, $113 million extension last summer but was never offered the deal due to his missing about one-quarter of the team’s games. The tension surrounding Butler’s potential extension boiled over this week, leading to his suspension.