Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler and GM Pat Riley have been eyeing each for quite some time… and not in the romantic way, especially after Riley admonished Butler during last season’s playoffs with by telling his star to “shut up and play.”
Butler has a player option for next season at $52.4 million, but he’s wanted a long-term extension taken care of, something Riley has been unwilling to do. Late in December, Riley said in a statement, “We are not trading Jimmy Butler.”
Since then, Butler has missed two games and played in two others. He received 25 and 27 minutes, scoring nine points in each while playing with a lackadaisical attitude.
Following Thursday’s contest, things looked to have gotten to a point of no return. In a press conference, Butler was asked if he could get his joy back on the court playing with the Heat, to which he answered “probably not.”
On Friday, the Miami Heat suspended Butler seven games for “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team.”
Butler has played for the Bulls, Timberwolves, 76ers, and Heat during his 14-year career. It looks like he will make it a full hand with a trade now a distinct possibility.
With Butler off the court this season, no Miami player has a seen a usage bump greater than 1.9 percentage points. The player who has benefitted most is Bam Adebayo.
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