Miami Heat

With no Jimmy Butler, the Miami Heat were no match for the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.

The Bucks handled the Heat 125-96 with Butler serving a two-game suspension for a "continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct and conduct detrimental to the team." It's the second time Butler has been suspended since requesting a trade. The first suspension was a seven-game ban he received earlier this month, also for conduct detrimental to the team.

The one bright spot for the Heat was rookie big man Kel'el Ware, who posted 22 points and 10 boards in the loss. Tyler Herro was Miami's second-leading scorer with 21 points, but it came on an inefficient 6-of-19 from the field.

On the Bucks' side, Damian Lillard put together a big night with 29 points and 11 assists while his co-star Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25 points and 12 boards. Gary Trent Jr. was productive off the bench, scoring 21 points in the dominant win.

As Milwaukee rolled through the Heat, fans ripped Miami's decision to suspend Butler.

At this point, it's just a waiting game for both Butler and the Heat. It's clear Butler has no interest in remaining with the team, and he's just hoping Miami will trade him soon. If and when that trade comes, the Heat will look to get a good haul in return for him and try to salvage what is left of their season.

Erik Spoelstra isn't wasting time on the drama surrounding Jimmy Butler as the Miami Heat also try to snap out of their recent funk with four losses in their last five games.

Speaking to reporters after Thursday's shootaround, Spoelstra explained his message to the team boiled down to "get over it" because this is the type of thing that can happen in the NBA.

"The point that I made to our team is get used to it," Spoelstra said. "Get over it. This is the NBA life; this is the life we chose. If you think it's going to be predictable, you're really mistaken."

Butler won't play in Thursday's matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks after the Heat announced he was suspended two games for a "continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct and conduct detrimental to the team" that included missing the flight to Milwaukee.

This marks the second time in three weeks Butler has been suspended by the Heat for conduct detrimental to the team. He served a seven-game suspension that was handed down on Jan. 3

When the initial suspension was announced, the Heat also said they "will listen to offers" after Butler and his representatives made it clear he wants to be traded.

There has been no indication yet that the Heat are close to moving Butler, but the trade deadline is rapidly approaching on Feb. 6. The Phoenix Suns have been cited as his preferred destination, to the point he wore shoes with their colors during Tuesday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

ESPN's Shams Charania has suggested a Butler trade could involve up to five teams, in part because the Heat want to maximize their return for a player who is still very good when he's on the court.

Bam Adebayo said on Jan. 4 that it's "disappointing" to see Butler and the Heat at odds, but the other players on the team "got to figure out how to win games."

The Heat sit in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with a 21-21 record. They've been able to make the playoffs in each of the past two seasons coming out of the play-in tournament, including a run to the NBA Finals during the 2022-23 campaign.

Butler is averaging 17.0 points on 54.0 percent shooting with 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in 25 starts this season. His next game, assuming he doesn't get traded before the suspension ends, will be on Monday when the Heat host to the Orlando Magic.

After receiving his second multi-game suspension this month, Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler's relationship with his team reportedly has deteriorated completely.

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday, ESPN's Shams Charania painted a bleak outlook on Butler's remaining connection to the Heat.

"This relationship is over with as far as where they're at, I don't think you're gonna put the genie back in the bottle," Charania said (1:30 mark).

Butler requested to be traded from Miami and Charania reported earlier this week that he's "tripled down" on his request. However, he found himself in hot water over his choice to not travel with the team to Milwaukee for Thursday's game against the Bucks, which caused the Heat to suspend him for two games. It was just a few weeks ago that the team suspended him for seven games for "multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season."

Charania noted on Thursday that this isn't the first time Butler chose not to travel with the Heat, and he informed the team of his decision to go to Milwaukee separately. Still, Miami's choice to suspend him indicated that there's a "no tolerance policy" concerning his antics.

Butler's exit from Miami appears imminent, but it's hard to imagine that many teams are motivated to trade for him after seeing how things have been playing out between him and the Heat.

Should a trade involving Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler materialize, it might be one of the most complex deals in NBA history.

ESPN's Shams Charania reiterated Thursday on SportsCenter that Butler and Heat president Pat Riley are both working toward a trade but that the Heat are still trying to maximize their return.

When it comes to sending Butler to the Phoenix Suns specifically, there will be a lot of moving pieces. Charania reported a trade that gets the six-time All-Star to Phoenix "could be three-, four-, five-team trade scenarios."

You're seeing a battle of two alphas right now play out in the meanwhile, with Pat Riley and Jimmy Butler, as both sides are trying to get to a common goal, which is a trade of Jimmy Butler out of Miami. Jimmy Butler has made it abundantly clear he wants to move as soon as possible from Miami, potentially to the Phoenix Suns. But the Heat also have to get the best assets now, from players that can help them win, young players, draft capital, whatever they can get for a guy that in five years in Miami, two Finals runs, another Conference Finals berth. We know he's an All-NBA-caliber player. So, the goals are the same, but at the end of the day, the Heat are going to take their time, and in the meantime, what we're seeing right now play out is a player who does not want to play in that city, and you're seeing the ramifications of it.

At the end of the day, deadlines create urgency. And for the Heat and Jimmy Butler, they have technically until Feb. 6th to get a deal done. But the rest of the league, and especially teams that could be involved in this, because from what I'm told, if this were a deal that lands Jimmy Butler to the Phoenix Suns, it could be three-, four-, five-team trade scenarios. And in that case, there are multiple teams waiting on this domino to fall. But at the end of the day, Pat Riley, Micky Arison, Andy Elisburg in that Heat organization, they're going to be the ones that make this final call.

Bradley Beal's no-trade clause is the reason for the Heat and Suns' present headache.

The Miami Herald's Anthony Chiang reported on Jan. 6 that Miami "is not interested in acquiring Beal's no-trade clause," so a straight-up swap is out of the question.

Phoenix can't send the 31-year-old anywhere without his express approval, and it's not immediately clear where else he may want to play.

Beal's agent, Mark Bartelstein, told the Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin that rumors were "created out of thin air" regarding his client's willingness to waive his no-trade clause for the Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, or Los Angeles Lakers.

"Having said that, I never operate in terms of absolutes, meaning that we would never say there would never be a trade that you would not consider," Bartelstein said. "You always keep an open mind like everyone does in all aspects of their life, and so if something was to come around that you were truly excited about, you always have to consider those things."

Finding a suitor who's willing to absorb the remainder of Beal's $251 million contract and one for whom he's willing to play won't be easy, hence the need for the Suns to get one or more other teams involved.

In the meantime, it's getting increasingly difficult to see how Butler and the Heat can move forward together if he's on the roster past the Feb. 6 trade deadline. The team suspended him again Wednesday, this time for two games, after he missed a flight and for general insubordination.

Maybe Butler is counting on things with Miami becoming so toxic that the team is willing to relent regarding its stance on Beal's no-trade clause. But even then, Beal could throw a wrench into the works by deciding he doesn't want to play for the Heat.

The Jimmy Butler situation with the Miami Heat appears to be getting worse by the day after the six-time All-Star was suspended for the second time in three weeks.

Appearing on SportsCenter (starts at :55 mark), ESPN's Shams Charania noted the situation has become "untenable," with Heat players and staff members calling it a "distraction" and "chaos" within the organization.

The Heat announced Wednesday that Butler has been suspended two games for a "continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct and conduct detrimental to the team" after he missed the team flight to Milwaukee for Thursday's game against the Bucks.

Butler had just returned to the lineup on Jan. 17 after a seven-game suspension that was also due to conduct detrimental to the team.

In their announcement of the original suspension, the Heat also said they "will listen to offers" since Butler wanted to be traded.

The Phoenix Suns, who have been cited as Butler's preferred landing spot, are seemingly positioning themselves to make a serious offer to the Heat. They acquired three first-round draft picks from the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.

NBA insider Jake Fischer noted after the Suns trade with Utah that they made the deal "without a specific follow-up move lined up."

Butler has had no problem creating chaos within organizations to get what he wants. He reportedly insulted Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins during practices when all three were teammates with the Minnesota Timberwolves leading up to the 2018-19 season.

The Heat are faced with a difficult dilemma of trying to get what they deem to be fair value for a player of Butler's talent, while also wanting to avoid any further distractions as they try to make the playoffs this season.

There's going to be a resolution one way or another within the next two weeks. The NBA trade deadline is at 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 6.

Butler will be eligible to return from his two-game suspension on Monday when the Heat host the Orlando Magic.

Jimmy Butler's desire to force a trade out of Miami is costing him some serious dough.

According to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, Butler's most recent two-game suspension—which brings his number of suspended games up to nine for the 2024-25 season—will cost him $3.1 million in lost salary.

He added, however, that Butler "could still get some (or even most) of that back depending on the result of grievances filed through the NBPA."

While you contemplate him losing more money for a pair of suspensions than the average person will make in a lifetime, Butler may want to take some time contemplating whether there's a less expensive way to put pressure on Miami to trade him this season.

Granted, that lost salary is coming out of the $48.7 million contract he's playing on this season, and he already has career earnings of $312 million—which will go up to $364.4 million if he exercises his $52.4 million player option for the 2025-26 campaign—so it's not as though his recent losses will keep food off the table. It also can't be ignored that Butler has clearly mastered the art of the controversial exit, so his strategy—while costly—will likely work as intended this time as well.

Or as Shakespeare once wrote: "Though this be madness, yet there is method in it."

The Miami Heat suspended Jimmy Butler again on Wednesday.

ESPN's Shams Charania first reported Wednesday afternoon that Miami planned to suspend the six-time All-Star for two games because he missed a team flight with plans to join the team later in the evening.

Instead, he will miss the team's two-game road trip against the Milwaukee Bucks (Thursday) and Brooklyn Nets (Saturday).

This comes after Butler recently returned from a seven-game suspension and took the court for the team's last three contests. He finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists in Tuesday's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers but won't have a chance to build on that performance in the immediate future.

Miami suspended Butler earlier this month for "conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks. Through his actions and statements, he has shown he no longer wants to be part of this team."

That announcement also explained the team was open to listening to trade offers, especially after Butler himself said he didn't believe he would find his "joy" on the basketball court if he remained with the Heat.

Butler has remained in the spotlight ever since as trade discussions continue to dominate the NBA landscape.

On Tuesday, Charania reported that "Butler has tripled down on his trade request. He did it to Pat Riley's face, and last week he did it to Micky Arison, the team owner and CEO. I'm told the Heat have had some productive conversations on a potential Butler trade this week."

There have also been plenty of suggestions he could eventually be moved to the Phoenix Suns, with NBA insider Marc Stein reporting "the whole league knows he wants" that.

The colorway of his shoes during Tuesday's game seemed to suggest as much as well:

Yet this suspension means the Suns and any other team that would potentially be interested in him will have fewer games to evaluate his overall approach and effectiveness on the court at 35 years old.

And it is yet another layer of drama to the entire situation.

Jimmy Butler is reportedly standing his ground.

ESPN's Shams Charania appeared on Tuesday's episode of NBA Today and said: "Butler has tripled down on his trade request. He did it to Pat Riley's face, and last week he did it to Micky Arison, the team owner and CEO. I'm told the Heat have had some productive conversations on a potential Butler trade this week."

The noise surrounding Butler picked up steam earlier this month when the Heat announced they suspended him for seven games due to "multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season."

The announcement, which came after Butler said he didn't believe he would find his "joy" on the basketball court by remaining in Miami, also said the team was open to trade offers.

Yet a trade will be much easier said than done.

"This is a big number to move, $49 million on his contract this year and $52 million player option for the offseason," Charania continued while suggesting a trade may need to involve three or even four teams to be completed.

Butler has since returned from his suspension and finished with 18 points in a Friday loss to the Denver Nuggets and eight points and seven assists in a Sunday win over the San Antonio Spurs. That means potential suitors can at least take solace knowing the six-time All-Star is taking the court, but Miami likely still doesn't have much leverage.

After all, the entire situation has been quite public. A team statement suspending a player and saying it is open to trade offers doesn't exactly indicate the front office wants to keep him, and he can hit free agency during the offseason by declining his option.

There is also a question about whether he can be the same player at 35 years old as he was at his peak. Teams may not be willing to mortgage their future for this version of Butler if they don't believe he can deliver them a championship.

Miami has until the Feb. 6 trade deadline to make a decision.

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler continues to have the Phoenix Suns atop his list of preferred landing spots amid his trade standoff, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

"Jimmy's No. 1 focus is getting traded, preferably, to the Phoenix Suns. Everything else is secondary," Windhorst said at the 34:50 mark in Monday's episode of his Hoop Collective podcast. "Not getting traded to 'Team X,' not getting traded to 'Team Y,' getting traded to the Phoenix Suns.

"And so, anything that you want to bring that's rational, if it doesn't mean getting traded to the Suns, Jimmy is not going to be interested in it right now. That's one thing you got to remember out of all of that. And that is the way he is operating. The second thing is that what [ESPN's Tim Bontemps] has been saying for months as well, is that Butler's best move is to just focus on playing. I think that is on the table but not until after the trade deadline. And so that's one of the things that the Heat have in the back of their mind."

Butler returned to the Heat lineup from his seven-game suspension last Friday in a 133-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets. He played 33 minutes and finished with 18 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Butler was also on the floor for 28 minutes in Sunday's 128-107 win over the San Antonio Spurs, scoring eight points and dishing out seven assists.

The six-time All-Star is stuck in an unhappy marriage with Miami for now, and Windhorst's newest report underlines how the two sides might have to make the best of it for a few more months.

The Suns are a logical landing spot for Butler for a number of reasons. They need something to invigorate their roster as they sit 10th in the Western Conference at 21-20. The 35-year-old is somebody who's attainable with Phoenix's limited trade resources, which can't be said about a lot of stars who could theoretically enter the market. And team governor Mat Ishbia won't have any second thoughts about extending Butler's contract.

Bradley Beal's no-trade clause remains a major road block, though. The star guard can effectively veto any deal, and his agent said earlier this month waiving the no-trade clause hasn't been discussed.

Beal knows the leverage he possesses, saying that "I hold the cards" in reference to the ongoing swirl of rumors about his future.

Absent a change in Beal or the Heat's position on his no-trade clause, a straight swap between Phoenix and Miami is unlikely to happen. And if a trade involving the Suns fails to materialize, it's hard to see another team stepping up to the plate to acquire Butler.

The Miami Heat are still searching for trade opportunities involving Jimmy Butler ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

"Butler is indeed an active member of the Heat once again, but league sources stress that Miami is determined to keep exploring trade possibilities between now and the Feb. 6 trade deadline amid real concerns that there is a considerable amount of season left to navigate to co-exist for two parties that would prefer an immediate separation," Stein wrote.

Butler returned from a seven-game suspension on Friday, playing 33 minutes during a 133-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

The Heat suspended the star forward for "multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team," showing that he "no longer wants to be part of" the organization.

"I guess it's basketball at this point," Butler told reporters after making his return. "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."

Just before the suspension, ESPN's Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst reported Butler indicated to Miami that he wanted to be dealt prior to the deadline.

Charania and Windhorst noted that the relationship between both sides has been "tense since last spring" after team president Pat Riley announced the Heat would not extend Butler's contract before the 2024-25 season.

The 35-year-old has a $48.8 million cap hit for the rest of the season and can become an unrestricted free agent once the year comes to a close, although he also owns a $52.4 million player option for his 2025-26 campaign.

Charania revealed on Tuesday that Butler only plans to use his player option as a "trade maneuver" and told Riley that he will not sign a new deal with Miami.

The Heat have already engaged with "multiple teams" regarding the six-time All-Star and have "received offers," but are hesitant to negotiate further (via Charania).

In 23 starts this season, Butler is averaging 17.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game on 54.7/35.3/79.4 shooting splits.

Despite the forward suiting up for the Heat once again, it appears as though both sides are still interested in parting ways before Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. ET.