If Miami Heat president Pat Riley hoped to end speculation with a public statement, then he may have more work to do as Miami confirmed Jimmy Butler will miss the remainder of the Heat’s road trip.
Butler hasn’t played for Miami since a Dec. 20 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, a game he left under strange circumstances.
The 35-year-old tweaked his left ankle after seven minutes, but after leaving the court because of the ankle issue, was ruled out for the remainder of the game with an illness. Butler missed an additional two games due to a stomach bug and the team announced that “competition reconditioning” is why he will also miss Miami’s games on Saturday and Sunday in Atlanta and Houston, respectively.
As a result, Butler won’t feature again until the calendar turns to 2025.
In 20 games this season, Butler has averaged 18.5 points (fewest since 2018-19), 5.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.3 steals. He is shooting 55.2 percent from the field and 35.7 percent beyond the arc.
Tension Brewing?
With all the trade rumors swirling around Butler, Riley issued a statement on Thursday that Miami will not be trading Butler.
This latest absence extending for reconditioning reasons, along with the fact he won’t be traveling with the team, will only add uncertainty over Butler’s future.
Butler has had unceremonious exits in the past and the Heat may be trying to avoid a similar fate here.
If things are indeed unraveling between Miami and Butler, it’s an unfortunate chapter in what’s been a great union thus far. Right from the time a sign-and-trade was agreed to with the Philadelphia 76ers to acquire Butler’s services in June of 2019, the six-time All-Star seemed a match made in heaven with “Heat Culture.”
His hard-nosed, take-no-prisoners style made Butler seem cut from the same cloth as Riley, and two trips to the NBA Finals only further illustrated that the organization and Butler were a perfect match.
Butler has wanted to see the team upgrade its top-end talent, though, and Miami has fallen short in pursuits of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and, most notably, Damian Lillard.
Now, it appears he’s ready to take matters into his own hands.
