Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is eligible to return from his seven-game suspension on Friday against the Denver Nuggets, and what comes next in the ongoing saga is anyone’s guess.
The Heat haven’t been able to find a trade they like for Butler, who has made it clear that he wants to be dealt. A trade during Butler’s suspension would have made for a relatively neat exit in terms of timing, but the franchise has seemingly struggled to gain traction on any sort of deal for the 35-year-old.
Now, the story is set to resume.
“Back in Utah, no questions about Butler were asked because the Heat had made it clear [Erik] Spoelstra wouldn’t answer them,” wrote ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “The point of timing the seven-game suspension with the six-game road trip, team sources said, was to create space for the team to get out of Miami and away from the chaos the situation had created, while Butler, Heat president Pat Riley and Heat owner Micky Arison met to talk through their differences.
“It was a futile effort. Starving this situation of oxygen was going to work for only so long, and the issues that caused the relationship to disintegrate remain. Butler still wants to be traded. The Heat haven’t found a trade they like for him.
“Teammates, coaches and staffers have already grown weary, sources said.
“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.’
“If history — like, say, in Minnesota in 2018 — serves as precedent, the discomfort could deepen, quickly.
“‘Jimmy hasn’t even really started,’ said one source close to Butler.”
Historically, Butler has shown an appetite for making things uncomfortable. His situation with the Heat has already reached uncomfortable heights, but as the last source indicated, the matter could get a lot messier before all is said and done. Friday could offer a big hint as to how it’s going to go.
In two straight games before his suspension, Butler didn’t look like his usual self. He just scored nine points on five shots against the New Orleans Pelicans on Jan. 1, then he followed it up with another nine points on six shots against the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 2.
There is no reason to believe that Butler has had a change of heart since then in terms of his overall situation, so the possibility of him returning on Friday with another lackluster performance can’t be dismissed. He may not want to give his all to a team that he doesn’t want to play for anymore.
Of course, of all the ways he could make the situation messier, more lackluster play is likely on the milder end of the spectrum. Butler could resort to more dramatic tactics if he really wants to make a scene.
The veteran is in his sixth season with Miami. The squad is just over .500 this season at 20-19, good enough for a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.
Under normal circumstances, Butler returning from a seven-game absence to rejoin a 20-19 Heat team would be seen as a major boost for the squad in its quest to move up the standings. But these aren’t normal circumstances, and there are certainly no guarantees that Butler returning to action on Friday is going to be a good thing for the team’s chances of building momentum.
