The Miami Heat are in no way forced to part with star veteran Jimmy Butler at the February trade deadline.

Still, it seems to be the path Miami’s front office is eager to take. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Saturday night that the Heat are trying to move the six-time All-Star forward “as quickly as possible.”

“This is a clear end to the Butler-Heat relationship,” Charania began on SportsCenter. “And as baffling as the league’s seven-game suspension was, more than anything, this was a way for the Heat to keep Jimmy Butler away from the team for the next few weeks. “The situation surrounding the Heat with Jimmy Butler there.” had become unmanageable.

It appears the Heat suspended Butler in part to calm tensions in the locker room. Without the 35-year-old’s presence, the hope is that the rest of the team can fully concentrate on winning games.

“From what I understand, the goal right now is to move Butler as quickly as possible,” Charania said. “And I’m told that the Heat have been talking to teams about Butler trades since Friday and that they will continue to work with teams.”

Butler will serve his suspension when the Heat face the Denver Nuggets on January 17th. However, team president Pat Riley and Co. clearly hope that the trade will be completed by then.

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Anthony Pasciolla is a writer for Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at [email protected] or follow him on X @AnthonyPasci.