Jimmy Butler III, a professional basketball player for the Miami Heat has been suspended indefinitely by his team after a “continued pattern of disregard of team rules.”
Jimmy Butler had already been suspended twice by his team this month for seven games and an additional two games for disciplinary issues.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the suspension was handed down because Jimmy missed a team flight and walked out of the shootaround on Monday, January 17.
Charania also noted that the Miami Heat want to find a deal to accommodate Butler’s request for a trade but in return are seeking a “combination of players who can help Miami win now, draft capital, movable short-term salary, and young talent.”
The Heat confirmed Butler’s suspension in a statement that stated that,
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The Miami HEAT are suspending Jimmy Butler without pay effective immediately for an indefinite period to last no fewer than five games.
The suspension is 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.
Despite the distraction surrounding Butler’s behavior and suspension, the team coach said he was to get his team to focus on tonight’s game against the Magic.
“We didn’t talk about anything today other than preparing for the Magic. … We’re just focusing on the task at hand,” Spoelstra said. “There’s no better place to be than just the present moment.”
This latest suspension comes after a recent one that happened on January 23, when the Heat suspended Butler for two games for missing a team flight.
The team stated at the time in a statement that:
“We have suspended Jimmy Butler for two games for [a] continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct, and conduct detrimental to the team, including missing today’s team flight to Milwaukee.”
Before that, he was also suspended for seven games for “conduct detrimental to the team throughout the season and particularly the last several weeks.”
Together, Butler has missed nine on 12 games but was expected to be available against the Magic.
This suspension could cause Butler to lose up to $532,737 per game.
