There's been plenty of great action happening on NBA courts this season, but one of the biggest stories has been the ongoing battle between Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. Despite two NBA Finals appearances in four years, the Heat and Butler are looking to go in different directions. And it's led to a continuous saga.
Per ESPN's Shams Charania, the Heat suspended Butler after he walked out during a team practice. This marks the third time Butler's been suspended this calendar year. At first, he was suspended on January 3 for seven games due to conduct detrimental to the team. Later, he missed a team flight to Milwaukee. The team slapped him with another suspension, that one for two games.
This latest suspension is indefinite but will be at least five games without pay, so Butler will be losing out on a minimum of nearly $3 million due to the missed time. Pat Riley and the Heat will certainly try to trade Butler before the February 6 trade deadline. There's only one problem: Butler makes a ton of money, which makes him tougher to move.
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Butler will get just under $48.8 million this year. NBA trades become get overly complicated when teams are above the salary cap, so the Heat are more limited in their trade partners. The team would have to find another team willing to take on Butler's massive contract, and that trade partner would also must be willing to part with players who are making close to Butler's salary.
Only ten players are making more than Butler in salary this year. Perhaps the Suns would be willing to make a deal for Butler in exchange for Bradley Beal, but that's not a certainty. Even if the Suns were onboard, would Miami want Beal in exchange?
Butler also tends to leave teams on bad terms, so going to his previous career destinations of the Bulls, Timberwolves, or 76ers feels like it wouldn't work.
Miami needs to find some combination of players they'd want to take back in a trade, plus a team that could bring on Butler's salary, and that team would need to be okay with Butler potentially leaving after this season, since he has a player option for next year.
Or, they could hold onto Butler throughout the season, keep him suspended, and watch him walk in free agency for nothing in return.
Either way, Butler has been hoping to force Miami's hand throughout the season to send him elsewhere. The Heat seem to have finally reached a breaking point.
