Jimmy Butler’s seven-game suspension was one of the biggest headlines in the NBA this month. All in all, Butler was away from his Miami Heat teammates for at least 13 days, which doesn’t even include the time he’ll miss after being suspended a second time.
Almost two weeks? That is quite a long time. Let’s look back at some of the events he missed during his first suspension.
The Road Trip
The Heat had a six-game road trip that included stops in Utah, Oregon, and each of California’s four NBA arenas. Trips like this are seen as a way for a team to bond. Would all those plane rides, bus rides, and team dinners help Butler gain a sense of togetherness with the Heat? Probably not. After all, he has re-affirmed his desire to be traded.
Shams:
“Jimmy Butler has tripled down on his trade request. I’m told the Heat have had some productive conversations on a potential Butler trade this week” pic.twitter.com/2jW33NjeZy
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) January 21, 2025
The Utah-Miami Season Series
Teams from the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference only meet twice a season. Therefore, when the Heat and the Utah Jazz met twice while Butler was away, it concluded their season series. The Heat lost by 36 points in the first meeting but were able to grab a five-point win in the next matchup.
The Intuit Dome
Playing in that new arena of the Los Angeles Clippers is probably one of the most exciting experiences for players. Unfortunately, Butler lost his chance to play the Clippers on the road. Of course, he could get traded in the next few weeks and visit the Intuit Dome at another time with his future team.
CLIPPERS WIN!!! pic.twitter.com/LSZZORnUmX
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) January 14, 2025
The Sacramento Revenge Game
Back in the early days of November, the Heat lost a close one to the Sacramento Kings. They were up by five during crunch time and even had a one-point lead with around 10 seconds remaining. That’s when Butler missed a 13-foot jumper, and after a timeout, Sacramento hit the game-winning shot.
Butler, who probably hoped to treat their second meeting as a revenge game, had to sit this one out. Perhaps he was glad he missed it as his team lost in double overtime. That makes it two heart-breaking losses to the Kings this season.
Income Opportunity
It is all about the money. Every missed game in the NBA comes with a financial consequence. For Butler, it was around $336,000 per game. That is a lot of lost income. If you get a calculator and do the math, you will feel his pain. No matter how wealthy you are, losing millions of dollars can be heavy on the heart.
The Jimmy Butler suspension will cost $346,543 for each game missed.
7 game total: $2.35M
Formula
1/145 of his $48.8M salary
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) January 4, 2025
Main Image Credit: Miami Heat/Facebook
