Meeting with owner Micky Arison expected next step for Jimmy Butler as Heat suspension draws to close

With the Miami Heat’s seven-game unpaid suspension of forward Jimmy Butler scheduled to be completed with Wednesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.Com Arena, it is what follows the next day that could determine what comes next in the ongoing saga.

That is when Heat owner Micky Arison is expected to meet with Butler ahead of Butler’s scheduled return Friday night against the Denver Nuggets at Kaseya Center.

According to multiple NBA sources familiar with the process, Arison is not in favor of allowing Butler to remain away from the team while continuing to collect on a contract that pays $48.8 million this season.

Less clear is the approach coach Erik Spoelstra would take with a reinstated Butler, whose suspension has been without pay. Among the reasons cited by the Heat in their filing to the NBA that also has been obtained by the National Basketball Players Association has been a lack of effort by Butler in certain games, including the two on Jan. 1-2 against the New Orleans Pelicans and Indiana Pacers that directly preceded the suspension.

As previously reported by the Sun Sentinel, Butler met with Heat president Pat Riley prior to Riley traveling to Southern California to check on his house in the area amid the wildfires and then appearing at Monday night’s Lakers’ retirement of the jersey of former Riley player Michael Cooper.

Butler reiterated to Riley his desire to be traded, which ESPN also reported on Tuesday. In issuing the Butler suspension on Jan. 3, the Heat also included in that statement that, “Jimmy Butler and his representative have indicated that they wish to be traded, therefore, we will listen to offers.”

Butler did not move off that stance when he met with Riley.

Parties familiar with the process confirm Heat contact with multiple teams regarding Butler, although the Heat have not shown an inclination to move forward with what has been offered.

Neither Riley nor Heat ownership or management have commented on the suspension since it was issued, although several Heat players have spoken about increased camaraderie in the absence of Butler during the six-game western swing that concludes Wednesday night.

The Heat stand 3-3 in Butler’s absence during the suspension, with losses to the Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings and, on Monday night, Los Angeles Clippers, as well as victories over the Golden State Warriors, Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers.

The Heat stood in fifth place in the Eastern Conference at the time of Butler’s suspension, entering Tuesday seventh in the East.

Prior to media sessions by Spoelstra during the ongoing six-game trip, the Heat have made note that he would not be taking questions about the suspension.

Ultimately, though, it will be up to Spoelstra to decide on how Butler would be reintegrated into the mix. Among Butler’s concerns during his final media session prior to the suspension was how he was being utilized by Spoelstra, stressing it had taken away his “joy” of the game.

The Heat have moved to an offense with greater focus on 3-point shots and attempts directly at the rim, one that has led to a breakout season by guard Tyler Herro, but an approach that does not necessarily play to the strengths of Butler’s mid-range game.

Spoelstra had assistant coach Octavio De La Grana remain behind along with other team staffers during the ongoing western swing to work out Butler, with Riley also monitoring those sessions.

While little has been publicly spoken about the suspension by either side, there have been a series of behind-the-scenes machinations, including the Heat briefly considering elevating the financial penalty of the suspension.

Among several examples cited by the Heat for the suspension have been elements that the team had willingly allowed previously during Butler’s Heat tenure.

Butler holds a $52.4 million player option on his Heat contract for next season, with opting in, in the void of a trade by the Feb. 6 NBA trading deadline, his most viable option for remaining in a similar salary realm going forward.

In effect, if not traded within the next month, the trade drama with Butler merely would be deferred until the offseason.

The lost wages for Butler will be placed in an interest-bearing escrow account, with an arbitration, if needed, to come after the season.

In the wake of the Heat’s suspension, the players’ union on Jan. 3 issued a statement that read, “The seven-game suspension imposed tonight by the Miami Heat on Jimmy Butler is excessive and inappropriate, and we intend to file a grievance challenging the discipline.”