Nearly a month ago, Shams Charania reported Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler preferred to be traded. The newest chapter of this saga will be written tonight, as Butler is expected to take the court for the first time following a seven-game suspension.
The Heat and Butler have gone back and forth in recent weeks, playing a game of chess, to determine the star’s future. Miami clarified they had no intention of moving the six-time All-Star. A week later, Butler made a formal trade request. On Jan. 3, the President of the Heat Pat Riley decided enough was enough. Miami suspended Butler for seven games for conduct detrimental to the team and announced they would listen to trade offers.
The suspension has run its course and Butler is still a member of the Heat. He has a list of preferred destinations and ruled out certain teams, leaving the trade market for him quite sparse. For more information and an updated list of trade rumors linked to Jimmy Butler, check out Sporting News’ tracker.
Now, Miami’s locker room is expecting Butler to return to the lineup, but do the players even want him back?
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Is Jimmy Butler playing tonight in Heat vs. Nuggets?
The Heat host the Denver Nuggets tonight at 8 p.m. ET and, for the first time in seven games, Butler is not on the injury report, indicating a return to the lineup — or at least the bench.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne reported on Friday that teammates, coaches and staffers have grown weary of the drama surrounding Butler. Shelbourne said Heat sources expect Butler to return Friday against the Nuggets and are prepared for him to play, but there is a “palpable dread” at what he might do to the team’s chemistry and what 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. Another said, “We don’t want him back.”
A source close to Butler told ESPN that “Jimmy hasn’t even really started,” regarding the problems he might create for Miami.
MORE: Jimmy Butler’s best fits | Jimmy Butler to Bucks rumors heating back up
Will Jimmy Butler be traded?
The NBA trade deadline is rapidly approaching. As the Feb. 6 date draws near, the odds Butler stays with the Heat is more and more likely.
With Butler’s contract and desire for an extension from wherever he is traded, finding possible suitors is difficult. Teams such as the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets had the salaries and assets to make a deal work and seemed like strong fits for Butler, but the disgruntled star said he does not want to be traded to either franchise.
Miami is not going to settle for anything less than what Butler is worth so whatever measly package the Phoenix Suns, one of his preferred destinations, are offering, do not expect a deal to get done, just because that is how it has worked in the past.
As the Heat push for a playoff spot, it is unlikely Tyler Herro, who will likely be named an All-Star, and star center Bam Adebayo will want any distractions going forward.
Chris Haynes reported Miami is considering changing the designation of the punishment from “conduct detrimental to the team” to “refusal to provide services.” He said the situation is “fluid,” but a switch in designation would double the fines that Butler is receiving from the franchise. Haynes added that this development is another example of the level to which the relationship between Butler and the organization has fractured.
The Heat were 3-4 during Butler’s suspension which aligned with the team’s six-game West Coast road trip. Miami is currently 20-19, tied for eighth in the Eastern Conference.
