The Miami Heat plan to suspend Jimmy Butler for two games. Butler, 35, missed the team’s flight early Wednesday. Miami decided to have Butler stay in Florida away from the upcoming two-game road trip to Milwaukee on Thursday and Brooklyn on Saturday.
The Heat’s decision shouldn’t come as a surprise, although Butler had just returned to the team following a seven-game suspension for multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team. His presence appears to do more harm than good at the moment. Less than three weeks later, the 35-year-old was handed his second suspension for January 2025. Read on for further details.
Miami Heat’s Plans for Jimmy Butler
The Heat’s plans for Jimmy Butler are familiar territory in January 2025. On Wednesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania posted on X, “The Miami Heat are planning to suspend Jimmy Butler for two games, according to sources. He missed a team flight Wednesday and had plans to join the Heat tonight. Now Miami is keeping him home from its two-game road trip.”
Butler was first suspended for detrimental conduct to the Heat on January 3, 2025. At the time, Miami said in a statement released to ESPN, “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.”
Butler recently returned to the Heat. After the team’s 133-113 loss to the visiting Denver Nuggets, he told reporters, “I guess it’s basketball at this point … I know what I’m expected to do while I’m here and try to do that to the best of my ability, but we are where we are.” Butler added, “We’re playing a lot of ‘what-ifs,’ ain’t we? … I’m going to hoop.”
Jimmy Butler’s Stats So Far This Season
Jimmy Butler’s stats are quite good, but likely not worth the hassle for the Heat, both on the court and in the locker room. He has been averaging 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while shooting 54.0% from the field and 36.1% from the three-point line this season. Butler’s career averages are 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 47.2% from the field and 33.0% from the three-point line.
Butler, who has been playing as a small forward in the NBA since 2011, is currently a member of the Heat, also known as his fourth team in his professional basketball career. Butler’s previous stints were the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Chicago Bulls. He is widely known for his six-year stint with the Bulls, with whom he earned three NBA All-Star honors.
Miami’s Next Steps
Jimmy Butler requested a trade from the Miami Heat in early January 2025. He appears to be unhappy playing for the Heat. Sources told ESPN that the team’s next steps would be to find a deal to accommodate Butler’s wishes. But the Heat appear to be struggling to find such a deal, as the team reportedly seeks a trade with a combination of draft capital, young talent, and a movable short-term salary to win as soon as possible.
The Heat would like to revert to their previous winning ways, as in the 2011-2012 and 2012-13 NBA seasons when they were 2013 NBA champions. Then as now, the team was coached by Erik Spoelstra and led by the “Big Three” of LeBron James (now with the Los Angeles Lakers), Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
