Looks like the Jimmy Butler issue still has a long road to go. During the veteran forward’s 7-game suspension, rampant trade rumors took over the NBA world, leaving us to expect a blockbuster trade at any given minute. However, for some reason, everything has stayed unmoved. Most importantly, Butler, who said he wasn’t having “fun” playing with the Miami Heat, returned to the team with a simple statement, “I’m back.” Following that, we have had several developments in the story, including a Pat Riley howler.

The Heat president has had a larger-than-life persona throughout his tenure. However, during Jimmy’s suspension, several attempts were made to change that. Notably, Stephen A. Smith, who claimed to have known Riley for a long time, described him as a “stoic winning within rigid power broker,” amid the suspension controversy. Moreover, SAS alleged that it was Riley’s controlling nature that forced LeBron James to move out of the Heat Culture in the early 2010s.

Following the drama, another attack on Pat Riley’s management popped up. An anonymous source, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, said, “We let Jimmy do more than we ever let LeBron, DWade, or [Alonzo Mourning] do.” 

While we sit here to decode the statement, Jimmy Butler has already played two games post his suspension. And it doesn’t look good there either. Multiple videos of the veteran, existing emotionless in the Heat huddle and bench, surfaced on the internet, irking enraged reactions from the fanbase. Let’s take a look at some of the reactions from the fans.

The latest Jimmy Butler situation ignited chatter across the NBA world

Firstly, let’s get over with Pat Riley’s biggest failure. An anonymous source claimed that the franchise tolerated Butler more than Bron and Wade. Well, both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had issues with the Heat culture, but most importantly, the duo had helped the team get rings. Jimmy Butler, on the other hand, carried the team to two finals in the last four seasons but didn’t get the chip. Amid this situation, a fan dropped some advice, writing, “Dudes exhausting for a mid-tier star who has at times overachieved. Stop giving him attention.”

Well, looking at the current situation in the Heat roster post-suspension, this advice will definitely not work. The situation needs attention and maybe even some action. Notably, during tonight’s roster announcement ahead of the Spurs game, JB stood there emotionless when the announcer called out his name while his teammates jumped around.

Reacting to the situation, a fan wrote, “Yeah, that’s awkward.” 

It’s not awkward just for Jimmy Butler, but for his teammates too. During the 7-game suspension, the team unusually lost 4 games, and upon his return, the team had a 1-1 record. Moreover, in tonight’s game, he just scored 8 points in 28 minutes, taking only 7 shot attempts in the entire game. If the Miami team doesn’t react to this unusual behavior, then it will end up costly for the team.

This video needed no explanation and a fan rightly wrote, “Jimmy clapping like he was forced lol.” Well, there are multiple ways to deal with a problem and this doesn’t really seem like the most mature way, at least for this fan. They wrote, “35-year-old grown man acting like an infant.” So, what really is the way out? If the player isn’t happy, why is the team still stuck with him?

Well, Bob Myers recently had quite a bit to say about Jimmy Butler. While handing credit where it was due to a fantastic player who could contribute on both ends, the former Bay GM didn’t shy away from speaking the truth. “You want Jimmy Butler? Part of the package is drama,” he said, and weirdly, nobody from the panel or the comments section disagreed.

A fan, emoting a common narrative, wrote, “I don’t get it why Miami hasn’t traded him yet.” Well, we have an update from a prominent NBA Insider to clear the doubt. According to Marc Stein, the Heat is still exploring trade possibilities before the February 6 trade deadline. So, the bottom line is that we can still anticipate a blockbuster move anytime soon, be it a two or three-team package.