Miami Heat star forward Jimmy Butler has been suspended indefinitely, according to Shams Charania from ESPN.
Butler walked out of shootaround this morning when he was told he was not going to start Monday night against the Orlando Magic, ESPN reported.
The forward was expected to be available to play against the Magic, after completing his second suspension of the month. He was suspended for Miami’s most recent two games after missing a team flight to Milwaukee last week.
Butler has missed 14 of Miami’s last 19 games entering Monday, including nine of the last 12 because of the suspensions — the first a seven-game ban for conduct that the team deemed detrimental, followed by the two-game suspension.
Including playoffs, Butler has started in each of his last 560 appearances.
Butler wants a trade, and Miami is trying to comply. But moving Butler and his $48.8 million salary this season is likely going to be more complicated that it would have been in past seasons, largely because of the league’s aprons — salary levels installed as part of the new collective bargaining agreement that restrict the ways bigger-spending teams can make certain moves.