The Miami Heat have suspended Jimmy Butler for seven games, and not only will he not be in action for a while, but he is also set to lose millions. Butler will not be paid during this suspension and according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, he is set to lose $336,543 for each game missed, or a total of $2.35 million.
Even for a millionaire like Butler, that’s a notable loss. Marks stated the six-time All-Star can file a grievance within the next 30 days and the money would be held in escrow until a resolution is reached. It could take up to a year for the whole situation to be resolved, though.
Unsurprisingly, not long after the Heat announced they’d suspended Butler, the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) put out a statement of their own.
“The 7-game suspension imposed tonight by the Miami Heat on Jimmy Butler is excessive and inappropriate, and we intend to file a grievance challenging the discipline.”
This is a lengthy process, however, so the suspension isn’t likely to be stopped by it. We almost certainly have seen Butler play his last game for the Heat and it’s incredible how bad things have gotten.
The Heat have suspended Butler over multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season. The latest one might have been Butler stating he can’t play with joy for the Heat anymore.
“I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball. 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 somewhere dominant, I want to hoop, and I want to help this team win. Right now, I’m not doing that.”
When asked if he could get his joy back on the court with the Heat, Butler stated, “Probably not.” That’s as clear a sign as any that he wanted a trade.
Butler also stated he doesn’t know if he wants to be with the Heat. He certainly was playing like someone who didn’t want to be with the team. In the two games the 35-year-old had played since returning from injury, he averaged 9.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 steals.
Butler took a total of 11 shots in those games and seemed to have checked out. Head coach Erik Spoelstra even opted against playing him in the fourth quarter of both games.
According to NBA insiders Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst, Heat officials implied on Thursday that Butler wasn’t playing his hardest in the first of those two games, which was against the New Orleans Pelicans. It has been reported that this act led to the 35-year-old indicating that he wanted a trade.
Heat President Pat Riley had previously declared the team won’t be trading Butler but they have now changed their stance on the matter. They are willing to listen to offers and it will be interesting to see how this situation pans out.
Butler, who has a $52.4 million player option for 2025-26, is averaging 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game this season. A fair few teams will be looking to bring him in as he could help elevate a franchise. As for the 17-15 Heat, they will be in action next against the Utah Jazz at Kaseya Center on Saturday at 8 PM ET.
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