Butler publicly announced his displeasure with the Heat following a 128–115 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 2, stating that he hasn't been playing with "joy" in Miami. He hasn't played since that night, as the Heat issued a seven-game suspension for Butler over conduct detrimental to the team.

The Miami Heat have been in the middle of perhaps the league’s biggest storm as of late, with star forward Jimmy Butler requesting a trade from the team on multiple occasions — even earning himself a seven-game suspension for conduct that was deemed detrimental to the team.