Will Jimmy Butler Play Tonight? Latest On Heat Forward's Suspension Saga

After serving the second suspension stint, Jimmy Buttler was expected to mark his return for the Miami Heat against the Orlando Magic tonight. However, ahead of Monday's game, ESPN's Shams Charania has reported that Butler has been levied with an indefinite suspension. The decision by the Heat means that Butler will not feature in tonight's game against the Magic.

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Why Did the Miami Heat suspend Jimmy Butler Again?

The Heat vs Jimmy Butler saga has further intensified. The 6-time NBA All-Star was earlier suspended for 7 games because of conduct detrimental. It happened after he requested the Heat to get traded. Following that he returned and played for three games before being suspended again. This time he was punished for missing the team's flight to Milwaukee last Wednesday. This time he was banned for two games. 

As two games had passed, Butler was set to play the game Heat vs Magic game but as per the reports, he found out that he would not be in the starting line-up today. Therefore, he opted to walk out of the team's morning shootaround, leading to the Heat levying this indefinite suspension on 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," Shams Charania reported in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Has Jimmy Butler Played His Last Game with the Heat Already?

With just ten days left to the NBA trade deadline, it is quite likely that the fans have already witnessed the last of Jimmy Butler in the Heat jersey. The suspension may last till the next five games and should it remain then Butler's farewell match at the Heat is a past instance. The timing of the deadline- February 6- plays a vital role here and as it is approaching, the chances of Butler starting a new stint with some other in the NBA increases. Regardless of what happens and even though the relationship between both parties has turned sour lately, Jimmy Butler will go down as a Miami Heat great.