NBA Southeast

Jimmy Butler's camp is pushing back on rumors that the guard delayed a Miami Heat team flight.

Rachel Nichols of Fox Sports reported that Heat locker room is "fed up" with Butler due to incidents that include delaying the team's departure from the airport. In response to the rumor, Butler's agent Bernard Lee posted a photo of the alleged flight and how it actually left 15 minutes early.

Man….. now trust me I get the irony here but just to clear this up once and for all this is the flight that keeps being mentioned… https://t.co/gowb7V51vY pic.twitter.com/dCzryIrb0c

— Bernard Lee (@BernieoLee) February 1, 2025

NBA insider Marc Stein confirmed that the flight did leave on time and Butler did not cause a delay.

Butler is in his sixth season with the Heat but it looks like his time with the franchise is over. He is currently suspended indefinitely by the organization due to conduct detrimental to the team. It is the third suspension the franchise has levied on the 35-year-old this season.

Despite the drama, Butler would be a solid pickup for any team ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. He has averaged 17 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 25 games and could serve as a strong addition to a contending team looking for some help at guard.

His latest conduct could be a deterrent for some suitors, even if the flight rumor is untrue, but his production and the short-term nature of his remaining contract should make a swing for him a bit more feasible. He has been linked to teams like the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets.

The Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors' Friday night game at Chase Center is being described as "the Jimmy Butler Bowl" by ESPN's Shams Charania.

Charania said Friday on The Pat McAfee Show that the Suns and Warriors are "shaping up to be likely landing spots" for the Miami Heat star.

"Miami and Jimmy Butler, they have the same goal right now, between now and next Thursday, and that's finding a trade for Butler out of Miami," Charania said. "They are in active conversations.

"Tonight actually on ESPN, I would call it the Jimmy Butler Bowl. I know we got the Super Bowl next weekend, but this might be the Jimmy Butler Bowl tonight between the Warriors and the Suns."

"The Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler have the same goal right now..

They're looking to find a trade to get him out of Miami before the trade deadline..

The Warriors and Suns are two of the teams that I believe are likely landing spots for Jimmy Butler" @ShamsCharania #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/OSEAsUJV8A

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 31, 2025

Charania continued:

The Warriors we know all season they've been trying to get a star player to go with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. And now when you think about Jimmy Butler and the motivation that Miami has, I think a lot of people are looking at the Warriors right now in a potential situation. Do you strike right now with him?

And we know Phoenix, we've been talking about Phoenix the last month and a half, two months regarding Jimmy Butler. That pursuit remained strong. It might be a deal that that takes three, four or five teams, but the Suns are trying every avenue to potentially get a deal done.

He has been suspended indefinitely. I think, you know, Miami has done a little bit to kind of poke him, you know, to an extent. You think about it, he comes back to the team after a two-game suspension, shows up to their shootaround earlier this week and basically Erik Spoelstra, from what I'm told, in front of the entire team, tells Jimmy Butler, tells the rest of roster that Jimmy Butler will be coming off the bench moving forward for the Heat and Haywood Highsmith will be their starter. And from that point on Jimmy Butler, I'm told, just exited stage right, stage left, whatever you want to call it, he left the shootaround and that might be the last time Jimmy Butler is going to be around the Heat.

But Miami wants shorter term contracts. They want draft assets, and we'll see if they're going to be satisfied with that between now and Thursday.

Butler has played just five games in January amid three separate suspensions by the Heat, the most recent of which was announced Jan. 27 after the team said he walked out of practice.

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press originally reported that Butler left a shootaround after being told he had been bumped out of the Heat's starting lineup.

This most recent suspension, which the Heat described as indefinite and without pay, put even more pressure on Miami to find a landing spot for Butler ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline.

But finding that trade partner has been complicated by Butler's contract, which carries a $48.8 million cap hit this season and a $52.4 million player option for 2025-26.

The Suns have reportedly been interested in acquiring Butler, but adding him to the roster would likely require moving Bradley Beal despite Beal's no-trade clause.

The Warriors would meanwhile have to part with multiple players to match Butler's salary, likely including Andrew Wiggins and at least two others.

Either one of these deals could involve at least one other team, if not multiple additional teams, to move the required amount of salary. SNY's Ian Begley previously reported the Minnesota Timberwolves could get involved by moving Julius Randle as part of the deal.

For now, the Suns and Warriors will focus on tonight's contest with Western Conference play-in positioning on the line. Tipoff is set for 10 p.m. ET.

With the clock ticking on the Miami Heat to find a trade partner for Jimmy Butler before the Feb. 6 deadline, the New Orleans Pelicans have at least kicked the tires on an offer for the six-time All-Star.

Per NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, the Pelicans "registered interest" in a Butler trade and could build a "firm offer" around Brandon Ingram's expiring contract.

The Heat side of this would make perfect sense since they almost certainly want to be out of the Butler business after suspending him for the third time this month due to a continued pattern of detrimental conduct.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst said this week on SportsCenter that the Heat have dropped their asking price for Butler because they are "really, really trying" to get a deal done.

One of the main priorities for Miami's front office in any deal seems to be avoiding bringing back any contract of significant value that runs beyond the 2025-26 season. The organization is focusing on cap space in the summer of 2026 when several top stars can become free agents, per Windhorst and Tim Bontemps.

Ingram would certainly fit that criteria since he is playing on a $36 million expiring salary this season.

The problem with this potential scenario is the fit between Butler and New Orleans. Even though Butler doesn't have a no-trade clause, he could simply refuse to report to a team that he doesn't want to play for.

All indications are that Butler wants to end up with the Phoenix Suns, and they are trying desperately to figure out a way to make it happen. But it's going to be incredibly difficult simply because the Suns don't have any financial wiggle room and very limited assets because of what they've already given up to bring in Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.

The idea of Butler choosing to play for a Pelicans team that has the second-worst record in the Western Conference (12-36) seems far-fetched. There's also no financial benefit for the Pelicans because Butler is making nearly $49 million this season, so they wouldn't be saving any money moving off Ingram's contract.

Since Butler is the better player in this scenario, the Pelicans might also have to attach draft capital to a deal to make it work. Their current spot in the standings means they don't need to be getting rid of any future picks.

Barring some grand plan by Pelicans general manager Bryson Graham that will get the team back to being a playoff contender next season, nothing about this makes sense unless there's a second step in which they flip Butler for a good return that the Heat wouldn't want to accept.

All of the questions about Butler have to be answered soon because the trade deadline is at 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 6.

Amid a difficult 2024-25 season, the Atlanta Hawks reportedly suffered a major blow to their lineup on Wednesday.

NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that Hawks rising star forward Jalen Johnson will miss the remainder of the season due to a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

Jalen Johnson will miss the remainder of the season with a torn labrum in his left shoulder, per @ChrisBHaynes

Johnson was averaging a career high 18.9 PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST this season pic.twitter.com/fLb68UspLu

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 29, 2025

ESPN's Shams Charania added that Johnson will be undergoing season-ending surgery.

In his fourth NBA season after being drafted 20th overall in 2021, Johnson was in the midst of a breakout year for the Hawks. He was averaging career highs across the board with 18.9 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. If he had stayed healthy, he likely would've been in the running to earn his first career All-Star selection.

Johnson had missed time earlier this month with inflammation in his shoulder before returning on Jan. 18. He played in four games before being sidelined again after suffering another shoulder injury on Jan. 23 against the Toronto Raptors.

The Hawks have lost six straight games and rank ninth in the Eastern Conference with a 22-25 record. Star point guard Trae Young has done his best to keep Atlanta afloat and leads the team with 22.7 points and 11.4 assists per game, but he will be counted on even more going forward without Johnson.

2024 No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher is likely to see more action in Johnson's absence, but he's still adjusting to life in the NBA with an average of just 10.5 points. Swingman De'Andre Hunter, who ranks second on the team with 19.1 points per game, will likely now be the team's No. 2 option behind Young.

The Hawks will try to end their skid when they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers (37-9) on Thursday.

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle could be part of an eventual trade involving Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler.

Randle drew Miami's interest last offseason and "has remained on the Heat's radar" since then, according to SNY's Ian Begley.

Begley wrote:

According to reports, the Suns and/or Heat have talked to several teams about a three, four, or five-team deal involving Butler.

Keep an eye on Minnesota in a Butler deal. In the offseason, the Heat were one of the teams that expressed interest in trading for Julius Randle, per SNY sources. Randle has remained on the Heat's radar during the Butler saga, sources say.

I don't know if there are any active trade talks between Minnesota and Miami. But the two teams have been in touch on Butler trades.

Butler is currently suspended at least until the trade deadline as the Heat seek a trade for the discontented star.

The Suns are reportedly interested in Butler, but would need to trade Bradley Beal in order to take on Butler's salary. That means the trade would likely need to involve at least one additional team due to the Heat's reported disinterest in Beal's contract.

Any Beal trade would be additionally complicated by the fact that he would need to waive his no-trade clause in order to leave Phoenix.

Begley's report coincides with ESPN's Brian Windhorst saying on SportsCenter that the Suns have tried to set up deals involving as many as five teams, "but have not been able to overcome the fact that what they've really got to trade is Bradley Beal."

"And so now I do believe this is going to bring in some other teams," Windhorst said. "We could see some surprising moves in this in this little battle in the next couple of days."

The veteran forward, acquired from the New York Knicks as part of the three-team Karl-Anthony Towns trade in October, is playing on a potentially expiring contract, Randle has a $30.9 million player option for 2025-26.

Begley previously reported in September that the Heat, alongside the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks, had talked with the Knicks about a potential trade for Randle ahead of the Towns deal.

The Heat could have room to acquire Randle if they are able to move Butler's $48.8 million salary off their books— but trading Butler by the Feb. 6 deadline could ultimately hinge on the Suns' ability to move Beal's contract.

After suspending Jimmy Butler for the third time this month on Monday, the Miami Heat are ramping up their efforts to move on from the disgruntled start.

Appearing on the Tuesday morning episode of SportsCenter, ESPN's Brian Windhorst explained the Heat are "really, really trying" to get a trade done by dropping their asking price for Butler:

"The Heat are really, really trying to make this happen. And I know that you could have said that any time in the last four or five weeks, but in talking to people who are involved in these talks, I think the Heat's prices have come down. What they're willing to accept in trade has widened, and I think that's going to bring some more teams that we're previously sitting on the sideline to the table. Obviously, the Phoenix Suns have tried to get this done for weeks. They have tried three, four, five-team machinations. They have not been able to overcome the fact that what they've really got to trade is Bradley Beal, who has a no-trade clause and not a very big market. And so now I do believe this is going to bring in some other teams. We could see some surprising moves in this in this little battle in the next couple of days."

Per Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, the Heat are "determined not to take back sizable contracts that run past next season." If they were asked to take back a significant contract that runs beyond the 2025-26 season, they want to be "compensated with a draft pick or two."

According to Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor, the Golden State Warriors are among the teams reconsidering their pursuit of Butler:

Sources: The Warriors are one of several teams back in the mix for Jimmy Butler now that the Heat have lowered their asking price.

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) January 28, 2025

Butler was suspended indefinitely and for no fewer than five games by the Heat on Monday. The six-time All-Star was due to return from a two-game suspension for their game against the Orlando Magic, but ESPN's Shams Charania reported he walked out of their morning shootaround after being told he was being replaced in the starting lineup by Haywood Highsmith.

A suspension of at least five games will keep Butler out of the Heat lineup through Feb. 5. They have an off day on Feb. 6, which is also the date of the NBA trade deadline.

The Suns have been cited as Butler's preferred destination, which likely means any deal would have to involved at least three teams because Phoenix doesn't have the draft capital or ability to do a one-for-one trade unless Bradley Beal waives his no-trade clause.

Given how toxic things appear to have gotten between Butler and the Heat, it's probably in the team's best interest to simply move on and take whatever they can get. They did overcome a 14-point deficit to defeat the Magic 125-119 in double-overtime on Monday.

The Heat have climbed up to sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 23-22 record. Butler has played just five games since Dec. 21. He's averaging 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in 25 starts.

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball will miss at least a week due to a left ankle sprain, per Shams Charania of ESPN.

Ball suffered the injury against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday and was quickly ruled out, the team announced.

Prior to his departure he had seven points, one assist and one rebound.

Ball had drilled a three-pointer off one foot before taking a few steps back and stepping on the heel of Lakers power forward Jared Vanderbilt, rolling his ankle and falling to the ground.

The former third pick in the NBA draft was able to stand before intentionally fouling to stop the clock, then walking immediately toward the locker room.

Ball has had a history of ankle injuries, being limited to just 58 games in his last two seasons due to ankle issues, according to NBA.com's Steve Reed. His transition into wearing ankle braces for extra support began last April.

"I'm going to see over the summer, try some stuff," Ball said of the ankle braces, per Reed. "My favorite thing to do is play basketball and to not be able to do it is just horrible... That fact that I got this summer (to be healthy), I'm going to take it and get it as strong I can to get out there and play."

The 23-year-old is having a stellar season with the 12-32 Hornets, averaging 28.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

The Hornets sit second to last in the NBA Eastern Conference, only ahead of the 6-38 Washington Wizards. Losing Ball for an extended stretch will only make it more difficult for the squad to compete.

Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat aren't letting their disgruntled star distract them amid off-court drama.

The Heat are without Jimmy Butler after he was suspended indefinitely on Monday, but Miami's head coach isn't concerned about things that are out of his control.

"I don't really care," Spoelstra said when asked if his team was equipped to handle the latest disruption from the suspension, per The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson. "We're just focusing on the task at hand."

The latest ban stems from an incident in Monday's shootaround. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Butler learned the Heat were planning to start Haywood Highsmith over him against the Orlando Magic on Monday, which led to him walking out of practice.

"The suspension is due to a continued pattern of disregard of team rules, engaging in conduct detrimental to the team and intentionally withholding services," Miami said in its statement. "This includes walking out of practice earlier today."

It marks Butler's third suspension since he requested a trade on Jan. 2. The first was a seven-game ban he received on Jan. 3.

"We have suspended Jimmy Butler for seven games for multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks," the team said in a statement. "Through his actions and statements, he has shown he no longer wants to be part of this team."

Butler returned from that suspension and played three games, but received another suspension last week for missing Miami's flight to Milwaukee. The suspension was for two games.

In total, Butler has played just three games since first requesting a trade earlier this month.

Spoelstra made it clear after Butler's second suspension that he wouldn't dwell on his star player's absence from the court.

"The point that I made to our team is get used to it," he told reporters last week. "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."

The Heat have little choice but to keep the focus on their season rather than what's going on behind the scenes. Miami is currently sitting in eighth place in the Eastern Conference at 22-22 and will look to stay in the playoff hunt without Butler.

Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat's beef continued on Monday, but the disgruntled star made light of the situation on social media.

The Heat announced Monday that they are planning to suspend Butler indefinitely without pay, clarifying that the suspension came after Butler walked out of practice.

"The suspension is due to a continued pattern of disregard of team rules, engaging in conduct detrimental to the team and intentionally withholding services," the team stated. "This includes walking out of practice earlier today."

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Butler left Monday's shootaround after hearing that Haywood Highsmith would start over him.

Shortly after being suspended, Butler posted a clip from "Martin" on Instagram, tagging Heat power forward Kevin Love.

Jimmy Butler posted this to his IG story. For those unfamiliar with this character from the ‘90s show Martin, Tommy was constantly sweated by friends for claiming to have a job. In fact, the correct verbiage was, “You ain’t got no job, man.” #ninetiesblacksitcomsforfivehundred pic.twitter.com/lTfx1DygE0

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 27, 2025

Love responded to Butler's Instagram post with a clip from "Training Day."

"Jimmy immediately after hearing he wasn't in the starting lineup," he wrote in the post, adding, "#haywoodhighsmithoverme."

Love has had plenty of jokes about the Butler saga on social media over the past few weeks, including a post featuring Boyz II Men's "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" following Butler's trade request.

Kevin Love on IG. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/pCpinruilX

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 3, 2025

Butler will have plenty of time to make more comical Instagram posts in the coming weeks as he waits for the Heat to trade him. The six-time All-Star is now serving his third suspension in the past month and he has played just three games since requesting a trade on Jan. 2.

Jimmy Butler's stand-off with the Miami Heat continues to be costly for the disgruntled star.

The Heat announced Monday that Butler is suspended "without pay effective immediately for an indefinite period to last no fewer than five games" due to a "continued pattern of disregard of team rules, engaging in conduct detrimental to the team and intentionally withholding services," which included "walking out of practice earlier today."

As ESPN's Bobby Marks noted, Butler will lose $532,737 in salary per game, meaning he'll be losing at least $2.7 million from this latest suspension. Butler had already lost around $3.1 million from his previous suspensions as he seeks a trade out of Miami.

Now, Butler could always seek to get that money back by filing grievances via the NBPA. Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers reached a settlement back in 2022 after the team suspended him without pay while he sought to force a trade, ultimately restoring a portion of the $20 million in withheld salary during that saga.

But regardless, Butler is risking quite a bit of money to force his way out of Miami ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.