Once again, the Miami Heat are going to suspend Jimmy Butler.
The Heat are going to suspend Butler for an upcoming two-game road trip after he missed a team flight to Milwaukee, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN and since confirmed by multiple sources. The team canceling practice and flying early to Wisconsin may have had something to do with it, but Butler planned to fly on his own and meet the team then play Thursday night, reports Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel. Whatever the reason the Heat organization will be happy to have the distraction that is Butler away from the locker room.
Butler was recently suspended for seven games by the team for “conduct detrimental to the team.” Like that suspension, the players’ union will likely appeal this one and get Butler some or all of his money back, but that is a slow process, so he will be away from the team for a couple of games.
Butler has played in three games since returning from that first suspension, averaging 13 points and 5.7 assists a game.
Momentum is building toward a Butler trade, very possibly to his preferred destination of Phoenix, where he could team up with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. The challenge with that trade is Phoenix needs to send out Bradley Beal, and Beal has a no-trade clause and can veto any deal. Miami is not interested in the 31-year-old former All-Star owed $110 million over the next two years. That means at least a third team (and maybe a fourth and fifth) needs to be brought in to take on Beal and work everything out — and Beal has to approve all of it. One of those teams could turn out to be Milwaukee, which was rumored to have an interest, but Beal’s agent shot down the idea that he would automatically waive the no-trade clause for Milwaukee (or Denver, or the Lakers). Plus, with both the Suns and Bucks over the second tax apron — which brings a host of trade restrictions — that becomes a complicated trade to make work.
Still, things appear to be building toward some kind of Butler deal getting done.
Miami will try to keep the drama around all that down by suspending Butler. Again.
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