As the saga in South Beach continues, the Miami Heat have announced that Jimmy Butler is suspended indefinitely. This latest instance marks the third time that Butler has been suspended by the Heat in recent weeks.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the suspension was handed down because walked out of shootaround on Monday (January 17). It will last at least five games, through the NBA’s trade deadline which is Feb. 6.
After several infractions since requesting a trade, to replace Butler in the starting lineup with Haywood Highsmith beginning with Monday’s game in Orlando, sources said.
In a statement, the Heat confirmed Butler’s suspension.
“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.”
Despite the distraction that Butler’s behavior has caused, coach Erik Spoelstra said he was to get his team to focus on tonight’s game against the Magic.
“We didn’t talk about anything today other than preparing for the Magic. … We’re just focusing on the task at hand,” Spoelstra said. “There’s no better place to be than just the present moment.”
On January 23, the Heat suspended Butler for two games for missing a team flight.
“We have suspended Jimmy Butler for two games for [a] continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct, and conduct detrimental to the team, including missing today’s team flight to Milwaukee,” the team said at the time.
Before that, he was suspended for seven games for “conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks.”
Butler has missed nine of Miami’s last 12 games but was expected to be available against the Magic.
Because of the latest suspension, Butler could lose up to $532,737 per game.
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