The Miami Heat are in action on Friday night against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena, but have just lost a key member of their rotation.
Small forward Jimmy Butler has exited the game after suffering a lower-body injury; replays show that not only did his right ankle come down awkwardly, but that his left knee may have also been affected:
Jimmy Butler has gone to the locker room after suffering an apparent injury pic.twitter.com/Q6H3EoEGR7
— FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun (@FanDuelSN_FL) November 9, 2024
The Heat have since officially updated Butler’s status as being unavailable for the remainder of Friday’s game with a right ankle sprain. Before he went down with the injury, he had two points, two assists and one rebound in seven minutes of play.
Butler has averaged 18.1 points per game this season for the 3-4 Heat while averaging 5.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists while shooting 47.7% from the field. He’s also averaged 1.7 steals per game and has shot 16.7% from behind the three-point line.
Will Jimmy Butler be traded from the Heat?
Butler has seen his name pop up in several trade rumors in recent weeks; he has two seasons remaining on his current contract that sees him get paid $48.8 million in 2024-25 and a player option for 2025-26 worth $52.4 million.
Selected with the 30th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, Butler would make his professional debut in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 NBA season by playing in 42 games; he then played all 82 games the following season.
After several seasons in the Windy City, Butler was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of the package that brought Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and the rights to Lauri Markkanen to the Bulls.
He’d find himself on the move once again in November of 18, this time getting dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers; he played out the remainder of the 2018-19 season in Philadelphia before signing with the Heat via a sign-and-trade deal. He would later be re-signed by the Heat to a four-year, $184 million extension in August of 2021.
He is a six-time NBA All-Star and has also represented the United States on the international stage.
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