Before star forward Jimmy Butler was suspended by the Miami Heat, his availability had been a storyline for the squad.
Butler missed five straight games in late December before returning to the floor in January to play twice leading up to his suspension.
The five games that Butler missed in December were said to be a result of the veteran being sick and then needing to recondition from the illness. However, according to Heat legend Tim Hardaway, Butler was out at a restaurant around the time he missed the first game of that five-game stretch, which was a matchup against the Orlando Magic.
There were reports and indications that Butler’s illness was indeed legit, but Hardaway’s comments may raise some eyebrows.
When Butler finally did return following his five-game absence, he didn’t look like himself. First, against the New Orleans Pelicans on Jan. 1, he scored just nine points and only took five shots. Then, the following day, he had a similar performance, scoring nine points against the Indiana Pacers and merely taking six shots. He didn’t seem very engaged during those matchups.
Following the Pacers game, everything went south. Butler made some very telling postgame comments which preceded an ESPN report about the six-time All-Star wanting a trade.
Butler hasn’t played since then, as the Heat handed him a seven-game suspension on Jan. 3 for “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks.”
He has missed four straight games as a result of his suspension and is set to miss three more before he’ll be eligible to return on Jan. 17 against the Denver Nuggets at home.
There have been indications that Butler returning to the team to play again following his suspension really is on the table, as the Heat haven’t been able to find a trade for him. That doesn’t mean a trade isn’t eventually going to happen, but for now, Butler and the Heat remain married, even if both sides are ready for a divorce.
Miami is 19-17 this season, a mark that has the team in familiar territory in the Eastern Conference: the play-in field.