Jimmy Butler has once again been suspended by the Miami Heat. According to multiple reports, Butler — who has made very clear that he would like it if the Heat trade him before the deadline in a week and a half — received an indefinite suspension from the team on Monday.
This time, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, Butler’s suspension comes after he walked out of the team’s shootaround on Monday morning before they play the Orlando Magic, as the veteran wing learned that the team would replace him in the starting lineup with Haywood Highsmith.
Miami previously suspended Butler two other times. The first was for seven games, citing “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks.” That came on the heels of Butler expressing doubt that he could find joy playing basketball in Miami, and expanding his request for a trade to any team after previously having a much shorter list of preferred destinations. The second was for two games after he skipped the team’s flight to Milwaukee last week. Butler was set to return from that suspension on Monday evening against the Magic.
In the most recent reporting that we have on how trade talks are going, Butler’s apparent wishlist for a destination is anywhere but Miami, with the sole exception being the Memphis Grizzlies. Butler purportedly wants a trade to the Phoenix Suns, in part because of their willingness to give him a contract extension after this season, but there are a few reasons why making that happen would be difficult.