Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

Heat focused on 'who's with us' after Butler ban

Written by 
Published in Basketball
Sunday, 05 January 2025 15:55

MIAMI -- As Jimmy Butler served out the first game of his team-issued suspension Saturday against the Utah Jazz, the Miami Heat are looking to move forward, with team captain Bam Adebayo saying the group is "focused on who's with us now."

Butler was suspended seven games over what the Heat called conduct detrimental to the team; Miami has said it is listening to trade offers.

"It's disappointing when you see the organization and a player going head-to-head like that," Adebayo said Saturday after the team's shootaround practice. "But the rest of us got to figure out how to win games."

Butler has not commented publicly on the suspension. The National Basketball Players Association spoke out on Butler's behalf hours after the Heat announced the suspension Friday, saying it believes the team's actions are "excessive and inappropriate." The suspension could cost Butler about $2.4 million of his $48.8 million salary this season.

"It's none of our business," Adebayo said. "It's for Jimmy and for the management to handle."

How it gets handled from here, and on what time frame, is anyone's guess.

"We're just going to focus on tonight," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before Saturday's 136-100 loss to the Jazz. "I want to quiet all the distractions. Enough has been said. We have clarity. We're just going to focus on this group in the locker room. That's what I want them to focus on and quiet the noise as much as possible. I'm not a clickbait type of coach, so you're not going to get anything else really from me. We have a task to do."

Trading Butler will be a challenge in this new NBA world, with the rules of the collective bargaining agreement limiting the ways teams can acquire players. It's possible, but it's far from certain. And the Heat simply letting Butler leave as a free agent this summer -- Butler has a player option for next season -- also remains a possibility, as it could open up some other avenues for Miami to acquire new players.

"It sucks to see that he won't be around," Heat guard Terry Rozier said.

Butler averaged 21.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 380 games with the Heat, including playoffs. Entering Saturday, since Butler joined the Heat, they've won 59.7% of their games when he played (227-153); they've won 49.2% of their games when he hasn't (58-60).

He became eligible last summer for a two-year, $113 million extension. The deal was never offered by the Heat, in part because Butler has missed about one-quarter of the team's games during his Miami tenure.

It was only natural that such a big sum of money not being offered was going to lead to problems. And the tension boiled over this week. Butler didn't play in the fourth quarters of Miami games on Wednesday and Thursday; he spent some offensive possessions simply standing in the corner, almost as if he had no role.

"I feel like he came to work, he tried to perform, and it just didn't go his way," Adebayo said. "I feel like he didn't want to be in the corner. But like I said, we develop a system where we play around everybody, and we just had to figure out how to incorporate him. But after what happened yesterday, we're focused on who's with us now."

After the second of those games earlier in the week, Butler said "probably not" when asked if he thought he could find on-court joy again in Miami.

Saying those two words might have been his last official act as a member of the Heat. Earlier this season, Miami said it had no interest in trading Butler. Hearing him say he doesn't want to be on the team anymore evidently changes things.

"It's hard to not see him around," Heat forward Nikola Jovic said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Read 17 times

Soccer

What we're hearing in the transfer window: Man United left-back latest, City making moves

What we're hearing in the transfer window: Man United left-back latest, City making moves

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe transfer window is open across Europe as clubs look to do some...

Sources: Barça VP steps down over Nike deal

Sources: Barça VP steps down over Nike deal

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsBarcelona vice president Juli Guiu has stepped down over discrepanc...

MLS sorry after falsely confirming Atlanta transfer

MLS sorry after falsely confirming Atlanta transfer

EmailPrintMajor League Soccer apologized on Thursday for posting an erroneous story on its website w...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

76ers rule out rookie McCain for rest of season

76ers rule out rookie McCain for rest of season

EmailPrintPHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jared McCain will miss the rest of the season af...

Blazers-Mavs start time moved up due to storm

Blazers-Mavs start time moved up due to storm

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe Dallas Mavericks moved up their start time for Thursday's home...

Baseball

Vlad-Jays, Valdez-Astros agree, avoid arbitration

Vlad-Jays, Valdez-Astros agree, avoid arbitration

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays avoided...

Pirates add Ferguson, eye LHP as possible starter

Pirates add Ferguson, eye LHP as possible starter

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsPITTSBURGH -- Left-hander Caleb Ferguson and the Pittsburgh Pirates...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated