The Miami Heat have suspended Jimmy Butler for seven games for “multiple acts detrimental to the team” and announced that they will “listen to offers” for the All-Star forward, eight days after team president Pat Riley publicly stated that the team has “no will make offers”. Trade” Butler.

“Through his actions and statements, he has demonstrated that he no longer wants to be a part of this team,” the Heat wrote in a team statement Friday. “Jimmy Butler and his representative have indicated that they would like a trade, so we will listen to the offers.”

The decision marks the latest turning point in an apparently eroding relationship. After Miami’s 128-115 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 2, just days after returning to the Heat after a five-game layoff, Butler said he had lost his joy in playing basketball and was ready to give it up “wherever that is.” “will be” to be restored. ” Asked if that joy could be recreated in Miami, Butler replied, “probably not.”

Shortly thereafter, a league source confirmed an ESPN report that Butler had informed the Heat of his desire to be traded to another NBA team by the league’s trade deadline on February 6.

Miami HEAT statement on Jimmy Butler:

We have suspended Jimmy Butler for seven games because he has committed behavior detrimental to the team on several occasions over the course of the season and particularly in the last few weeks.

– Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 4, 2025

In the two games before Butler’s suspension, he totaled 11 shot attempts and averaged nine points in just over 25 minutes per game. He didn’t play a single minute in the fourth quarter of either game. The 35-year-old forward is on pace to finish behind teammates Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo in usage rate for the second straight season, marking another shift in his place in Miami’s hierarchy as the Heat give the latter two more offense have entrusted responsibility.

“That may be my role here, but that’s not what I’m used to,” Butler said Thursday of his reduced usage. “I haven’t been like that since, I don’t know, my first, second, third year in the league where I just went out and played defense. But I’m competitive – I guarded and tried not to let my man score. That’s what I do now.”

The two teams were unable to negotiate a contract extension after last season, leading the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals MVP to decide to play the 2024-25 season and express a desire to get out of the last one year of his current contract, which would pay him $52.4 million. Butler has until the summer to elect that option, which would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent and sign with the Heat or a new team.

Butler appeared in 22 of the Heat’s 32 games this season, meaning he has missed at least 10 games in each of his five-plus seasons with the Heat. When Butler has played, Miami has a 12-10 record, compared to a 5-3 record when he sat out. According to NBA.com, the team has five-time All-NBA selections on the court this season and has a net rating of plus-4.3. When he’s either on the bench or not available to play at all, Miami is outscored by 0.4 points per 100 possessions.

This story will be updated.

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(Photo: Megan Briggs/Getty Images)