Heat forward Jimmy Butler had to leave Sunday’s game in the closing seconds due to pain in his right knee, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. After being fouled on a drive to the basket with 1:27 remaining, Butler took a while to get up and appeared to be favoring the knee. He stayed in a game a little longer, but was taken out with 24.2 seconds left to play and Miami trailing by just three points.
Butler is considered questionable for tonight’s contest in Boston, which brings back memories of last spring when he was unavailable for a playoff series with the Celtics due to a sprained MCL in the same knee. He wasn’t sure about his status as the team prepared for its flight.
“I don’t know,” Butler told reporters. “We’ll see how I feel whenever I wake up in the morning, get all the treatment that I can get and hopefully I’m ready to rock.”
Responding to an offseason challenge from team president Pat Riley, Butler was determined to be available for more regular season games this year, but his body may not be able to hold up at age 35. Chiang notes that he has already missed four of the team’s first 18 games due to a sprained ankle, and any issues with the right knee have to be watched closely. Butler also wasn’t certain if the medical staff is planning an X-ray or MRI on the knee.
“I ain’t even there yet,” he said. “I’m just happy to be able to put this sleeve on, do all this treatment on this plane. Then when we land in Boston, we’ll figure it out.”
[UPDATE: Butler has been ruled out for Monday’s game in Boston.]
There’s more on the Heat:
- Tyler Herro now ranks second in franchise history for most made three-pointers in a career, Chiang adds. With 808, he passed Tim Hardaway Sunday night and only trails teammate Duncan Robinson, who has 1,056 since signing with the Heat in 2018. “I’ll be chasing him for a while,” Herro said.
- The Nets and Warriors were among the teams mentioned in trade rumors involving Butler earlier in the season, but league executives don’t consider him a good fit for Brooklyn because of his age, while Golden State seems happy with its current roster, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The Knicks had some interest in Butler during the offseason, but trade talks didn’t get very far before New York pivoted to Mikal Bridges, Scotto adds. He also states that executives who’ve checked on Butler came away believing that Miami wants to save any decision until after the season.
- Outside of Butler, the Heat’s top trade assets are future first-round picks and Terry Rozier, Scotto adds. Rozier’s shooting numbers have declined and he was recently moved out of the starting lineup. He’s making $24.92MM this season and next season, and he will get an extra $1.72MM next year if he appears in at least 70 regular season games and his team reaches the second round of the playoffs.
- Josh Richardson hasn’t been able to find a role with this year’s team after picking up a $3.1MM player option rather than testing free agency, Chiang states in a separate story. The veteran guard didn’t get off the bench in four straight games before missing Sunday’s contest due to an illness. He also missed time with a strained calf and left heel pain. “It’s been hard,” Richardson admitted. “Frustrating, but it is what it is. I’m just trying to stack days. My shoulder got healthy, trying to get up to speed and get ready and then feet things start popping up. So I’m just trying to get everything in my body on the same page.”
GSW cant make a Butler trade work without Wiggins money, and frankly this season Wiggins is the better player. I see zero chance they put together the 50M to match Butler since it would gut there roster for an underperforming older player with a giant player option.
Butlers contract with his health and production this year and the option make him in the Zach Lavine category of terrible contracts.
Yeah Butler isn’t a fit on this GSW team unless he’s basically free, which is impossible at his salary.
I think GSW should sign and trade Kuminga, then add Podz, Waters and a pick for Cam Johnson, Nic Claxton and Dennis Schroder, that would bring them back to top dog status and an easy chip. Cam Johnson and Schroder are those scorers they need and Claxton is the big.
This Heat team surely has to be blown up by the deadline. They’re stuck in that quagmire of being a middling team with very little upside, and while they’ve done a great job of turning re-treads into producers over the last few years, it’s just not a sustainable strategy.
Spo’s erratic approach to minutes in the rotation isn’t helping either – Jovic goes from 30 minutes a game, to immediately not cracking double digit minutes, and being replaced by Highsmith (who is absolutely not the answer at PF).
The Rozier trade last year was so bad, probably the worst use of assets all deadline
Big Riley fan but about once every 5 years he does something super mind boggling
Can’t see Jimmy leaving Heat. He should retire there. Heat can be buyers this yr for right trade. Or they can hope n pray their youngsters grow up fast. Jaquez, Jovic, Ware, Larsson.