With the NBA set for a restart, the Miami Heat nearly back at full strength

Jimmy Butler returned to South Florida this week, meaning the Miami Heat are back together for the first time in three months

The Miami Heat roster is almost back to being in the same city.

Guard Jimmy Butler reportedly returned to South Florida earlier this week after spending a large portion in California while the NBA season was suspended because of the coronavirus situation. Butler and Andre Iguodala were among the last players to make their way back, leaving Solomon Hill as the only player away from the area. Hill remains in Los Angeles. 

The move comes at the ideal time with league owners expected to agree on commissioner Adam Silver's proposal to restart the season. The Thursday meeting is expected to reveal a 22-team playoff format, according to ESPN.

The Heat have been idle since March 11 the league was placed on hold after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus. Teams were banned from practice facilities for more than a month before being allowed back in early May.

The season could resume early as late July.

The Heat were 41-24 before play was halted. They held the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference standings but there are possible plans of teams being seeded regardless of conference. If that happens, they would be the No. 8 seed.

This marks the second time the league could have a shortened season since 2011-12. That year, teams played only 66 games because of a labor stoppage. The Heat, led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals and captured the second championship in franchise history.

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here