Butler was informed at shootaround that he would come off the bench behind Haywood Highsmith in this game, which prompted Butler to walk out of shootaround. From there, the Heat suspended Butler “indefinitely,” a story broken by Shams Charania of The Athletic and since confirmed by the team.

Depending on how you process any recent Heat news, that latter point feels correct, given some of Butler’s relationships with players on Miami’s roster. That is especially true of younger contributors who have grown to see Butler as a mentor no matter his team-related drama or level of candor.

The countdown is about to move within a week of the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline when it comes to the Miami Heat’s next step with Jimmy Butler. In other words, go-time. For now, the veteran forward remains on unpaid team suspension through at least that deadline,