Jimmy Butler again suspended by Heat for ‘disregard of team rules’ after missing team flight

As Jimmy Butler continues to push for a trade out of Miami, he’s now facing his second suspension from the Miami Heat in the past three weeks.

After serving a team-issued seven-game suspension earlier this month, the Heat has now suspending Butler for two games without pay after he missed the Heat’s flight to Milwaukee on Wednesday afternoon, league sources confirmed to the Miami Herald.

Butler was planning to fly separately on Wednesday to meet the Heat in Milwaukee ahead of Thursday’s game against the Bucks at Fiserv Forum (7:30 p.m., TNT). But the Heat instead suspended Butler for two games.

The Heat issued a statement late Wednesday night regarding Butler’s latest suspension: “We have suspended Jimmy Butler for two games for continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct and conduct detrimental to the team, including missing today’s team flight to Milwaukee.”

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The seven-game suspension cost Butler a total of about $2.4 million in salary, and the two-game suspension is expected to cost Butler about $700,000 in additional salary. 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.

Butler’s two-game suspension will run through the Heat’s upcoming two-game trip, which includes Thursday’s contest against the Bucks and Saturday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Butler will be eligible to return when the Heat returns to Miami to host the Orlando Magic on Monday — if he isn’t traded by then.

However, it’s unclear whether the Heat’s game against the Bucks on Thursday will even be played.

The NBA postponed the Bucks’ matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday at Smoothie King Center “due to extreme weather conditions in the New Orleans area.” According to ESPN’s Marc Spears, the Heat’s game against the Bucks in Milwaukee on Thursday is also in jeopardy of being rescheduled because the Bucks are having trouble flying out of New Orleans due to the snow in the area.

Butler, 35, played in three games since returning to the Heat from his seven-game suspension before again being suspended on Wednesday.

Butler averaged 13 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game while shooting 45.2 percent from the field in those three games since returning from his first suspension. The Heat, which went 1-2 in those games, has been outscored by 6.8 per 100 possessions with Butler on the court during that span.

Butler, who requested a trade from the Heat earlier this month, has the Phoenix Suns among his preferred trade destinations, according to league sources. Butler’s decision to wear sneakers with the Suns colorway in the Heat’s 116-107 home loss to a struggling Trail Blazers team on Tuesday, which dropped Miami back to .500 at 21-21 for this season, is seemingly confirmation of that.

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. The Heat continues to have discussions with teams in hopes of moving Butler and finding a resolution to this ugly situation ahead of the NBA’s Feb. 6 trade deadline.

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.

Butler, a six-time NBA All-Star, is on a $48.8 million salary this season. He can become a free agent this upcoming summer, with a $52.4 million player option in his contract for next season.