Heat again suspends Jimmy Butler, this time indefinitely after shootaround incident

The Miami Heat suspended forward Jimmy Butler for the third time in a month on Monday, hours before he was expected to rejoin the team for Monday’s home game against the Orlando Magic.

This time, the Heat suspended Butler indefinitely, according to league source. This suspension begins with Monday’s matchup against the Magic and will last at least five games up until the NBA’s Feb. 6 trade deadline, with anything beyond that determined by the Heat later on if Butler is still on the roster past the trade deadline.

Butler showed up for the Heat’s shootaround on Monday morning, but he angrily left shootaround during the late stages of the session, while players were shooting individually, after he was informed that he was not going to start, a league source said. This action led to his latest suspension without pay.

“The Miami Heat are suspending Jimmy Butler without pay effective immediately for an indefinite period to last no fewer than five games,” the Heat said in a statement on Monday afternoon to announce Butler’s latest 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. This includes walking out of practice earlier today.”

The Heat also announced that coach Erik Spoelstra would answer no questions about Butler, which has been the case for the past week. He said he did not discuss the matter with his players.

“We didn’t talk about anything other than preparing for the Magic,” Spoelstra said. “We are trying to quiet the noise and we’re just focusing on the task at hand.”

Asked about the decision to stick with Haywood Highsmith as a starter (which meant Butler not starting), Spoelstra said: “We’ll try. I’ll make adjustments if we need to. Whatever we feel is necessary right now. We’re learning more about this group as we go on. We’ll figure it out.”

Asked if this group of players is well suited to dealing with this disruption, Spoelstra said: “I don’t know. I don’t really care. We’re just focusing on the task at hand. “

Butler’s third suspension follows two previous team suspensions this month — a seven-game banishment earlier in January and two-game suspension that ended after Saturday’s victory over the Nets in Brooklyn.

Those first two suspensions cost Butler a total of about $3.1 million in salary and the length of the indefinite third suspension will determine how much this punishment costs Butler. But while the first two suspensions cost Butler $336,543 per game for “conduct detrimental to the team,” the third suspension will cost Butler $532,737 per game because the Heat labeled the reason as “withholding services.”

The National Basketball Players Association is expected to file a grievance to dispute the suspensions, with the fine money held in escrow until a resolution is reached. This process could take up to a year, but could result in Butler getting some of the lost salary back.

The Heat continues efforts to try to fulfill Butler’s trade request before next week’s trade deadline but is determined not to take back sizable contracts that run past next season, according to sources briefed on the situation.

If the Heat takes back players whose contracts run beyond this season, Miami wants to be compensated with a draft pick or two. The Heat also wants players back who can help them make the playoffs this season — if the Heat doesn’t make the playoffs this season, the lottery protections would be removed on first-round picks due to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Charlotte Hornets.

Monday was the eight-year anniversary of the last time that Butler appeared in a game but did not start — coincidentally, that game came against the Heat.

“It kind of feels normal now, at this point,” Heat guard Tyler Herro said after Monday’s shootaround regarding the uncertainty surrounding the Butler situation. “It’s kind of just what it is. Nothing is guaranteed, so we just got to be ready to roll with whatever cards we’re dealt with tonight. We just got to be ready to go.”

Phoenix remains the team most determined to acquire Butler, but any deal involving the Suns likely would need to include Bradley Beal and the Suns have been unable to find a team willing to take the final two years and $110 million due on Beal’s contract. What’s more, Beal could veto any trade because of a no-trade clause.

There have been Butler trade conversations with other teams, including Milwaukee and Memphis, according to a league source.

Butler has made clear through backchannels that he does not want to play for the Grizzlies, but he is willing to play for the Bucks. Butler does not have a no-trade clause but could opt to decline a $52.4 million player option for next season to become a free agent this upcoming summer.

Toronto, Washington, Charlotte and Detroit are all willing to help facilitate a Butler trade, according to NBA writer Marc Stein. But it’s unclear if any of those teams are willing to take the Beal contract.

Also, league sources confirmed an ESPN report that there have been discussions with the Chicago Bulls regarding a multi-team trade that would send Butler to Phoenix. It’s unclear if those discussions will materialize into a deal.

“The bottom line is the Bulls and the Suns have talked and the concept of Bradley Beal ending up in Chicago has been discussed,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said. “I’m not saying it’s going to happen. I’m not saying it’s close or whatever. Obviously, Beal has a no-trade clause.”

Beal is averaging 17.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 32.9 minutes per game in 31 appearances this season with the Suns, who recently moved him to a bench role.

Mark Bartelstein, Beal’s agent, hasn’t ruled out Beal waiving his no-trade clause but has said he doesn’t plan on eliminating the no-trade clause as a condition of a trade. That means a team taking on Beal (if Beal is amenable to the deal) also would inherit his no-trade clause.

Any team taking Beal likely would request at least one, if not all, of the three first-round picks that the Suns have available to trade. The Suns last week sent an unprotected first-round pick in 2031 to the Utah Jazz in exchange for three first-round picks that likely will be in the bottom third of the first round.

The Heat is also expected to seek at least one of those picks in a Butler transaction, particularly if Miami is asked to absorb contracts of players whose contracts extend beyond this season.

The Bulls have been open to moving guard Zach LaVine, who’s due to make $45.9 million next season with a $48.9 million player option for 2026-27. But the Heat is opposed to taking on significant salaries past next season unless they’re acquiring a clear-cut All Star.

The Bulls have one player on an expiring contract above a minimum deal: Lonzo Ball, who’s earning $21.3 million. But because of knee injuries, Ball has appeared in just 25 games this season after not playing at all the previous two seasons.

Chicago’s Nik Vucevic also has been mentioned in trade talks, with Chicago reportedly seeking at least one first-round pick in any transaction involving the veteran center. Vucevic is due to make $21.5 million next season in the final year of his contract.

Butler was used in his usual starting role in each of the three games that he played following his first suspension, averaging 13 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game while shooting 45.2 percent from the field during that three-game span before being suspended for a second time last week. The Heat, which went 1-2 in those three games that he played in between his first two suspensions, was outscored by 6.8 per 100 possessions with Butler on the court during that stretch.

Butler was first suspended by the Heat on Jan. 3 for seven games “for multiple instances of 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.”

Butler was then suspended by the Heat for two games on Wednesday for “continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct and conduct detrimental to the team, including missing today’s team flight to Milwaukee.”

Then the Heat suspended Butler for a third time this month on Monday.

In meetings with Heat president Pat Riley, owner Micky Arison and chief executive officer Nick Arison this month, Butler has remained adamant about his desire to be traded out of Miami.

According to multiple sources, Butler has been disappointed with the Heat primarily because Miami declined to give him a two-year, $113 million contract extension this past summer, a deal that would have run through the 2026-27 season. Butler was open to signing such a deal early in the negotiating window, but his mind-set changed when the extension wasn’t immediately offered by the Heat.

The Heat is 13-12 this season in games that Butler has played in and 9-10 without Butler.

“We sure miss him,” Heat forward Nikola Jovic said Monday of Butler. “He’s one of the best players in the world. It’s of course not easy to just play without him. But it’s what we have to do, find a way to win without him and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Jaquez out

The Heat ruled out Jaime Jaquez Jr. for Monday’s game because of a stomach illness.