Jimmy Butler reportedly expected to start for Heat in return from suspension

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

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

And when the suspension was issued, it wasn’t clear if Butler would play for Miami ever again. But with no trade in place — and evidently without one in the foreseeable future, either — the Heat did not list Butler on their injury report for the game with the Nuggets.

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

Butler was not with the team on its six-game road trip to Sacramento, Golden State, Utah, Portland and then Los Angeles for games against both the Clippers and Lakers. The Heat did not practice Thursday and were planning a walk-through Friday afternoon before the Denver game.

Butler was expected to meet with some team officials Thursday and Friday. It’s likely that he will also meet with coach Erik Spoelstra, given comments Butler made in his most recent session with reporters after a loss to Indiana on Jan. 2. He expressed frustration with his role and said he’s lost his on-court “joy” in Miami.

“What do I want to see happen? I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball, wherever that may be — we’ll find out here pretty soon,” Butler said. “I want to get my joy back. I’m happy here, off the court, but I want to be back to somewhere dominant. I want to hoop and I want to help this team win. Right now, I’m not doing that.”

The relationship between Butler and the Heat — a talking point for weeks now — has never been worse. The Heat lost to Indiana 128-115 on Jan. 2, Butler scoring exactly nine points and playing exactly zero seconds in the fourth quarter for the second consecutive game.

The next day, the Heat issued the suspension and reversed course from a statement team president Pat Riley made in December vowing that Butler would not be traded. The team has been engaging in trade talks since.

But trading Butler is complicated, with new rules in the collective bargaining agreement putting more issues in place 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’s 35 years old and is averaging 17.6 points this season. On the one hand, that’s his lowest average since his third season in the NBA more than a decade ago. On the other, he’s shooting 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 the Heat soured when that deal was not offered to him.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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