Heat Suspending Jimmy Butler Indefinitely

According to NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN, the Miami Heat are suspending Jimmy Butler indefinitely.

Butler, who has requested a trade from the Heat, walked out of shootaround this morning after being informed the team is planning not to start him.

Jimmy Butler walked out of Heat shootaround this morning after being informed the team is planning not to start him — with Haywood Highsmith starting — moving forward, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/8I31eT524l

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 27, 2025

One of the top players in the NBA, Butler is averaging 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.4 blocks this season for the Heat while shooting 54.0% from the field, 36.1% from beyond the arc and 80.1% from the free-throw line. 

A Marquette product, Butler is making $48.8 million this season. He has a player option worth $52.4 million for next season. 

The NBA trade deadline is February 6. Butler, who doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract, prefers to get traded to the Phoenix Suns to play with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, sources told Hoops Wire. 

According to NBA insiders Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN, trading for Butler is the Suns’ top objective. 

“Phoenix, fighting for positioning in the West play-in race, showed just how desperate it is by trading its unprotected 2031 first-round pick for three lower-value firsts: either the 29th or 30th pick in this year’s draft, plus the worst of Utah, Cleveland and Minnesota’s picks in both the 2027 and 2029 drafts,” Bontemps and Windhorst wrote. “Tuesday’s deal gave the Suns some flexibility in their dealings now but at the cost of mortgaging their future even further. Maybe doing so will help get Jimmy Butler to Phoenix — sources said landing the 35-year-old forward remains the team’s top objective.”

Butler has played for the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers and Heat. He has career averages of 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.4 blocks. 

Butler joined the Heat in 2019. He has guided the franchise to the NBA Finals twice.