Lawyer Breaks Down Jimmy Butler Suspension, NBPA Grievance

Jake Elman | Jan 6, 2025

Nov 24, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) reacts against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

The National Basketball Players Association intends to file a grievance on Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler’s behalf following his team-mandated suspension. 

Specifically, the NBPA’s grievance hopes to recoup the $2.35 million (over $346,000 per game) Butler will reportedly lose during his unpaid seven-game suspension. 

During a Jan. 6 appearance on ESPN’s Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast, lawyer Alex Spiro broke down the grievance process. Miami cited conduct detrimental to the team in a Friday release announcing Butler’s suspension. 

“They’re gonna use his words against him,” Spiro explained. “He said something to the effect of, ‘I can’t play hard here. I don’t love it here. I can’t play hard when I don’t love it here,’ some words to that effect, and they’re just gonna point to it with him saying that and saying it was attitude.”

The NBPA called Butler’s suspension “excessive and inappropriate.” Heat president Pat Riley previously called the saga a “distraction” in a Dec. 26 statement. 

Fans and pundits discussed Butler’s effort in his two games before the suspension. However, Spiro said game footage won’t make a difference in any grievance. 

“They’re not gonna look at how low his defensive stance is and try to compare it to last year,” Spiro said. “They’re gonna say, ‘You wanna know what the guy was doing and thinking? Look at his own words.’”

Sprio called the trade saga an “unfortunate situation” and reflected that the Heat had an “amazing thing.” Miami reached the NBA Finals twice in Butler’s first five seasons and frequently overcame a litany of injuries to stay in the postseason hunt.

Now, the Heat are a middle-of-the-road team likely destined for the Play-In Tournament. Barring an unexpected miracle, Butler won’t be a part of any potential playoff run. 

“It was a special place with Pat, with [head coach Erik Spoelstra], with Jimmy, but now that it’s come to this point, it seems like the genie can’t get back in the bottle,” Spiro said. 

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Jake Elman works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat on SI. He can be reached at jakeelman97@gmail.com or follow him on X @JakeElman97.