Jimmy Butler reportedly expected to start for the Heat as a replacement after his suspension

Jimmy Butler expected to start for Miami on Friday when he hosts Denver Nuggetsgame that would be his first since the Heat confirmed they want a trade and are trying to accommodate that request, according to a report from Chris Haynes.

Butler was suspended by the Heat for the last seven games, with the club citing conduct it deemed detrimental to the team. Miami went 3-4 in those contests.

And when the suspension was handed down, it was unclear if Butler would ever play for Miami again. But without a trade — and apparently without one for the foreseeable future — the Heat did not list Butler on their injury report for the Nuggets game.

In short, if he’s not on that list, it means the Heat expect Butler to play.

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Butler was not with the team on a six-game road trip to Sacramento, Golden State, Utah, Portland and then Los Angeles for games against the Clippers and Lakers. The Heat didn’t practice Thursday and planned to go through Friday afternoon before the Denver game.

Butler was expected to meet with some team officials on Thursday and Friday. It’s likely he’ll also meet with coach Erik Spoelstra, given the comments Butler made in his final press session following the Jan. 2 loss to Indiana. He expressed frustration with his role and said he had lost his “joy” on the court in Miami.

“What do I want to see happen? “I want to see me get back to my joy of playing basketball, wherever that is — we’ll find out here pretty quickly,” Butler said. “I want to get my joy back.” I’m happy here, off the pitch, but I want to go back to somewhere dominant. I want to play hoops and I want to help this team win. I’m not working right now. that.”

The relationship between Butler and the Heat — a topic of conversation for weeks now — it has never been worse. The Heat lost to Indiana 128-115 On January 2nd, Butler scored exactly nine points and played exactly zero seconds in the fourth quarter for the second straight game.

The following day, the Heat issued the suspension, reversing course from team president Pat Riley’s statement in December promising that Butler would not be traded. The team has been engaged in trade negotiations ever since.

But trading Butler is complicated, with new rules in the collective bargaining agreement creating more questions for teams to address when acquiring big contracts — and he’s making nearly $49 million this season, with an option to make $52 million next season.

He is 35 years old and is averaging 17.6 points this season. For one thing, it’s his lowest average since his third NBA season more than a decade ago. On the other hand, he is hitting a career-best 55% this season.

Butler was the best player on two Heat teams that went to the NBA Finals. He was eligible for a two-year, $113 million extension starting last summer. The relationship between Butler and Heath soured when he wasn’t offered that deal.

Associated Press reports.

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