Jimmy Butler tracker: He will start tonight, as Erik Spoelstra downplays drama ahead of game vs. Nuggets

Friday night’s matchup between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets at Kaseya Center has the potential to be one of the most fascinating Heat games in recent history.

Not because it’s a rematch of the 2023 NBA Finals, but because of the intrigue surrounding Jimmy Butler’s situation.

With Butler’s team-issued seven-game suspension ending in Wednesday’s loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles, he’s eligible to return when the Heat opens a three-game homestand on Friday against the Nuggets.

Updates will be posted here throughout the day leading up to Friday’s game and Butler’s potential Heat return.

8:15 p.m.: When Jimmy Butler was introduced as a Heat starter ahead of Friday’s game against the Nuggets, the Miami crowd’s reaction was mixed. There were some scattered boos when Butler was introduced and when he touched the ball on the Heat’s first possession of the game.

6:40 p.m.: Erik Spoelstra opened his pregame session with reporters on Friday with a statement ahead of Jimmy Butler’s return. Here’s the full statement (without Spoelstra mentioning Butler’s name) ...

“Look, we work in a league of complexity,” Spoelstra said. “We’re in an unusual place right now. But really all it is is complex and we fully plan on operating within this complexity. So it’s my job to prepare this team, get them ready to play at a high level and that’s what I’m doing. That’s what the plan is. My methods for doing it are really none of your business. You all are looking for drama, I’m looking for getting this team ready to play at a high level. And I’ll give you even our starting lineup. I’m checking a lot of boxes, so you don’t have to ask me a lot of questions after this. The starting lineup will be the same lineup that we had the last time you saw us in this building or the game before that. It was not one of our better games, so we want to make amends for that.

“And then in terms of silly questions about what’s the temperature of the room or how everybody is feeling, that just sounds so dramatic. We’re professionals, we’re fine, we’re ready for tonight’s game and that’s the only thing that matters. So, that’s basically it. We’re looking forward to getting back on the wood. We’ve been on the road for a while and we’re complete. So, we’re ready to get this thing tipped off. Any other questions, please just make it about the game. I’ll be able to read into it whether you’re looking for more drama. I gave you more than I normally do. So, let’s talk about tonight and the competition.”

With Butler back in the starting lineup, the Heat is going with a starting group of Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Butler, Haywood Highsmith and Bam Adebayo against the Nuggets.

6:15 p.m.: After serving his team-issued seven-game suspension, Butler will make his Heat return on Friday against the Nuggets.

Butler announced his return through a pregame statement issued by his agent Bernie Lee, similar to the press release that Michael Jordan used to announce his return to the Chicago Bulls.

“I’m back,” the press release issued by Lee read.

On Butler’s Instagram story Friday, there was video of him wearing the No. 45 Bulls jersey that Jordan used when he returned to Chicago following his first retirement.

Butler is averaging 17.6 points on 10.5 field-goal attempts, 5.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 55.2 percent from the field this season. The Heat is 12-10 this season when Butler plays and 8-9 when he doesn’t play.

3:40 p.m.: If Butler plays Friday, will he start?

It’s worth noting that Butler has never been used as a reserve during his Heat career. He has started in each of the 313 regular-season games and 64 playoffs games that he has appeared in with the Heat.

The last time Butler played as a reserve came in his second NBA season in 2012-13 when he was a member of the Chicago Bulls.

1 p.m.: Butler is still not on the Heat’s injury report for Friday night’s game against the Nuggets, but there still isn’t definitive word whether he’ll play in the contest.

The only Heat players currently ruled out for Friday’s game are Josh Richardson (right heel inflammation) and Dru Smith (left Achilles surgery).

11:20 a.m.: Ahead of Jimmy Butler’s potential return on Friday night, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne posted a story on Friday morning with some comments from those around the Heat. And those comments didn’t exactly sound welcoming to a potential Butler return.

Shelburne wrote: “While Heat sources say they expect Butler to return Friday against the Nuggets and are fully prepared for him to play, there remains a palpable dread at what he might do and the environment the ongoing chaos might create. ‘I don’t know how he can come back to this locker room,’ one source close to the team said. Said another, ‘We don’t want him back.’”

The Heat is 8-9 in games without Butler this season and went 3-4 during Butler’s seven-game suspension.

10:15 a.m.: The plan was for Butler to meet with Heat owner Micky Arison and chief executive officer Nick Arison on Thursday afternoon to discuss the path forward, league sources told the Miami Herald.

Butler is no longer listed on the Heat’s injury report following his suspension, leaving open the possibility of his return on Friday against the Nuggets.

The expectation before Thursday’s meeting with the Arisons was the Heat would expect Butler to rejoin the team and be available to play in games at the end of his suspension.

The alternative to bringing back Butler is to resume paying his $48.8 million salary now that he’s longer suspended while also reaching an agreement to keep him away from the team. But as of earlier this week, the Heat had not shown interest in having Butler remain away from the team while also continuing to pay him despite a drama-filled few weeks that included trade talks and an airing of grievances against each other.

The last time Butler played in a game prior to his suspension, he scored just nine points on six field-goal attempts in a Jan. 2 home loss to the Indiana Pacers.

“I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball,” Butler said after that Jan. 2 loss. “And wherever that may be, we’ll find out here pretty soon, I want to get my joy back. I’m happy here — off the court. But I want to be back to someone dominant. I want to hoop and I want to help this team win. Right now, I’m not doing that.”

Does Butler believe he can get his joy back while remaining on the Heat’s roster? “Probably not,” Butler said that night.

The day after Butler made those comments, the Heat announced his suspension through a press release that said: “We have suspended Jimmy Butler 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.

“Jimmy Butler and his representative have indicated that they wish to be traded, therefore, we will listen to offers.”

But a trade has not yet materialized and Butler could again be representing the Heat on the court as soon as Friday.