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The Miami Heat might have had enough of Jimmy Butler.
During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show (30-second mark), Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix suggested the team’s third suspension was a “needle mover” in how much it wants to move him ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline.
“That’s been a needle-mover,” Mannix said. “If you asked me the question Friday if Jimmy Butler would be with Miami beyond the trade deadline, my answer would have been yes. Because the asking price for Butler around the league has been pretty high.”
He explained the Heat were initially looking for draft picks, young players and no long-term contracts beyond the 2026 season. However, he noted teams around the league “sense … that price has gone down.”
While it is still important to Miami to not take on long-term contracts, that means it is lowering the asking price when it comes to draft capital or young players.
On Monday, the Heat announced they suspended Butler indefinitely for “no fewer than five games … due to a continued pattern of disregard of team rules, engaging in conduct detrimental to the team and intentionally withholding services. This includes walking out of practice earlier today.”
It was the third time they suspended him this month.
The second time was for two games after he missed a team flight, and the first one saw him suspended seven games because of “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season.”
The first suspension came after Butler told reporters he likely wouldn’t find his “joy” on the basketball court if he remained in Miami.
How much the Heat would get for a 35-year-old who hasn’t played more than 65 games in a season since the 2016-17 campaign was always a question. And now they are reportedly willing to lower the price given the recent developments.
Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo reported the Golden State Warriors could be back in the mix as a result, while ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported Tuesday that Miami is “really, really trying to make this happen” by dropping that price.
That means one of the league’s most proven playoff performers could actually be on the move prior to the deadline.
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