Jimmy Butler suspended by Heat as relationship continues to deteriorate

The Heat announced Friday that they'd suspended All-Star Jimmy Butler for seven games for "multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team." They also announced that they'd listen to trade offers for the 35-year-old, a reversal from their position one week ago when the team president Riley released a statement: "We will make it clear: We are not trading Jimmy Butler."

According to a report from Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Butler informed the Heat that he wanted to be traded Thursday night, after his nine-point effort in a 128-115 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Butler had missed five straight games with an illness and "return-to-play conditioning" before returning Wednesday, where he also scored just nine points. He was remarkably passive, taking only 11 shots in two games and mainly standing in the corners on offense.

After the game, he told reporters he wanted to "get his joy back" in playing basketball, something Butler didn't believe could happen in Miami. 

The relationship between Butler and the Heat has been deteriorating since the summer, when the team refused to offer him a contract extension, in advance of the final year. (Butler has a player option for the 2025-26 season worth $52.4M.) In addition, Riley harshly criticized Butler for saying he thought the Heat could have won playoff series last season had he not been injured, telling his star to "keep your mouth shut."

Since then, Butler has said he "welcomes" trade speculation. Last month, Butler's agent, Bernie Lee, got into a feud with ESPN's Charania over his reporting that Butler had trade destinations in mind. Lee called the report "fabricated."

It appears the trade speculation has now become real. And the Heat have countered Butler's trade demand with a seven-game suspension, which would run through the Heat's game against the Los Angeles Lakers (scheduled for ESPN) Jan. 15. That might serve as an informal deadline for the Heat to get a deal done, though Riley and the Heat might wait until the summer if there's no acceptable trade offers.

Will Butler be paid during his suspension? The Heat would be looking at a grievance from the player's union if they tried to withhold his salary. But they do want Butler away from the team, which may suit both parties.

This likely marks the end of Butler's time in a Heat uniform, which included two trips to the NBA Finals and a last-second loss in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. While Butler defeated a lot of great teams during his time in South Beach, these events show that it's even harder to win against Pat Riley.