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.

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,