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Miami Heat’s Marriage To Jimmy Butler Is Messy, But That’s Fine (For Now)

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Miami Heat’s Marriage To Jimmy Butler Is Messy, But That’s Fine (For Now)


The honeymoon period is over for the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Sure, if Butler and the Heat had their choice, things would feel more comfortable than they do. His future is unsettled beyond the 2024-25 NBA season—the final locked-in year on his contract—and it sounds like things could stay that way for a while.

In theory, the two sides could negotiate a contract extension at any time, but neither appears fully sold on the concept yet. Or not on the other’s preferred terms, at least.

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Butler reportedly has no plans to ink out a contract extension (with Miami or any team he might be traded to) ahead of next summer’s opt-out clause, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The Heat, meanwhile, seem unconvinced he’s worth a blank-check commitment due to availability issues that caught the public ire of team president Pat Riley.

Butler, to Riley’s point, has had trouble staying on the hardwood of late. Butler has yet to miss fewer than double-digit games with the Heat and just sat out their first-round loss to the Boston Celtics due to a knee sprain. With his 35th birthday arriving in September and some heavy tread on his tires (he was once a prized pupil of Tom Thibodeau, after all), it is reasonable to wonder whether these issues are here to stay.

None of this helps with the current climate around the club and its star swingman. Things feel tense from afar and might induce even more anxiety up close. This is decidedly not fun.

It also isn’t a nightmare, or anything close to it. In fact, it could prove to be a good thing depending on how each responds.

If Butler’s plan is to get paid after his age-35 season, then he needs to hoop in a way that makes clear not only is he still within his prime, but he has several prime years still ahead. He needs to show the superstar form he’s been able to summon during Miami’s long postseason runs with him. He has to be at his absolute best, which would provide obvious perks for his employer.

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The Heat, meanwhile, need to do the same. They must operate in a manner that convinces him his best shot at capturing the crown is found right where’s at. Maybe that’s as simple as the team performing well and Erik Spoelstra coaching his rear off. Perhaps it means making that all-in trade push that keeps being speculated about but still hasn’t happened.

Butler and this franchise have long felt like a happy couple. A hard-working, incredibly conditioned, ferociously competitive couple, but ultimately a content one.

Now, that contentment seems harder to spot. Perhaps that splits them apart, but it also might motivate them to push harder than ever to make this marriage work.

Zach Buckley works as a contributing writer to Inside the Heat. He can be reached at zbuck07@gmail.com or follow him on X @ZachBuckleyNBA.

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Miami Heat-Minnesota Timberwolves Final Injury Update: Anthony Edwards’ status divulged

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Miami Heat-Minnesota Timberwolves Final Injury Update: Anthony Edwards’ status divulged


The Minnesota Timberwolves announced that guard Anthony Edwards is now available to play in Tuesday night’s game against the Miami Heat after originally being listed as questionable with right foot injury maintenance.

Here’s the rest of the injury report and game preview:


INJURY REPORT

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HEAT

Tyler Herro: Available – Toe

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Jaime Jaquez Jr.: Out – Ankle

Nikola Jovic: Available – Groin

Terry Rozier: Out – Not with team

TIMBERWOLVES

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Anthony Edwards: Available – Foot

Terrence Shannon Jr.: Out – Foot

Joan Beringer: Out – G League


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Game date, time and location: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 8:00 p.m. EST, Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

TV: TV: Peacock,

Radio: 104.3 FM (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale), ESPN 106.3 FM, (West Palm Beach), FOX Sports Radio 105.9 FM (Ft. Myers/Naples), 1450 AM (Suart), 97.7 FM (Florida Keys), WAQI 710 AM (Spanish-language broadcast, South Florida) 100.3 FM (Minnesota)

VITALS: The Miami Heat (20-16) and Minnesota Timberwolves (23-13) meet for the second and final regular season matchup after just facing off three days ago with Minnesota recording a, 125-115, win in Miami on January 3. The teams split the series, 1-1, last season with each squad winning on the road. The Heat are 36-35 all-time versus Minnesota during the regular season,
including 19-16 in home games and 17-19 in road games.

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PROJECTED STARTERS

HEAT

G Davion Mitchell

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G Tyler Herro

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C Bam Adebayo

F Norman Powell

F Andrew Wiggins

TIMBERWOLVES

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G Donte DiVincenzo

G Anthony Edwards

C Rudy Gobert

F Jaden McDaniels

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F Julius Randle

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Spread: Heat +5.5 (-112), Timberwolves -5.5 (-108)

Moneyline: Heat +166, Timberwolves -198

Total points scored: 239.5 (over -106, under -114)

QUOTABLE

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Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra on the forced turnovers: “That is and has to be our identity. We have to play with a recklessness and activity level that exceeds our opponent, and thats not to put down our talent level or anything like that, it’s more about we look different when we’re flying around and making plays and making it tough for the opponent.”


For more Miami Heat information and conversation, check out Off The Floor.


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Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket



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Man shot during $22,000 gold chain robbery at Supreme store in Miami’s Design District; Atlanta suspects arrested

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Man shot during ,000 gold chain robbery at Supreme store in Miami’s Design District; Atlanta suspects arrested


Three men were arrested Saturday after a robbery inside a Miami clothing store left a man shot and hospitalized, according to Miami police and arrest affidavits.

The incident happened Friday afternoon in Miami’s popular Design District neighborhood.

Police said officers were dispatched around 4:20 p.m. Friday to the area of Miami Avenue and Northeast 41st Street after receiving reports of a man who had been shot. Officers found the victim, who told them he had been robbed and shot while shopping inside a Supreme store located at 45 NE 41st Street.

According to investigators, the victim said he was approached by three suspects inside the store, including one person with whom he had a prior conflict originating from the Atlanta area. Police said an argument broke out, and one suspect forcibly removed a gold chain from the victim’s neck. The chain was valued at approximately $22,000, according to police.

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As the suspect ran out of the store, the victim attempted to chase him, police said. During the pursuit, an unidentified male shot the victim once in the stomach. The suspects then fled the area in a white Mercedes-Benz, according to the arrest affidavits. 

Miami Police detectives later located the suspect vehicle parked near Northeast 10th Avenue and Northeast 91st Terrace. Police said they conducted surveillance and observed the suspects abandon the vehicle and walk through a nearby residential area before entering a home in the 800 block of Northeast 90th Street.

A residential search warrant was executed, resulting in the arrest of three suspects. During the search, detectives recovered the victim’s gold chain, keys to the suspect vehicle, and clothing believed to have been worn during the robbery, police said.

The suspects were identified as Jamar McKay, 25, Omarion Phillips, 20, and Kevieon Smith, 21. McKay was charged with armed robbery with a firearm or deadly weapon. Phillips and Smith were charged as accessories after the fact, with Smith also facing an additional firearms-related charge, according to court records.

“This arrest sends a clear message: violent crime will not be tolerated in the City of Miami,” Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales said in a statement. “Individuals who commit acts of violence in our city will be identified, located, and held fully accountable.”

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Miami Hurricanes arrive in Phoenix to continue Fiesta Bowl preparations

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Miami Hurricanes arrive in Phoenix to continue Fiesta Bowl preparations


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The Miami Hurricanes are looking to buck a bad trend. They’re 0-4 in the Fiesta Bowl.

Coach Mario Cristobal’s team gets its fifth shot this week as Miami (12-2) squares off against Mississippi (13-1) in the Fiesta Bowl at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 8 at State Farm Stadium. The school may be 0-4 historically, but there is plenty at stake. This Fiesta Bowl is serving as a College Football Playoff semifinal.

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The Hurricanes, the No. 10 seed in the 12-team playoff field, arrived at 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5, at the Ragsdale Executive Terminal of Sky Harbor Airport. The opposing team is expected 24 hours later.

The gathered crowd of 100 or so was made of members of the Fiesta Bowl Committee, easily identifiable in their yellow jackets, and their families.

In the past, there had been a welcome event in a tent adjacent to the runway. The coach typically made an opening statement, but players and coaches walked off the plane and straight to their buses parked nearby.

Players, dressed in white sweatsuits, filed off their American Airlines flight in single file on a blue carpet.

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The players will take part in a media day on Jan. 6 at a Scottsdale hotel, with the coaches talking to the media the following day, the eve of the contest.

The Hurricanes enter on the heels of a six-game winning streak. Their last loss came on Nov. 1 against SMU, a game decided in double overtime 26-20. They have surrendered just 17 points in their two postseason games.

The winner advances to the national championship game on Jan. 19 against the winner of the other semifinal, the Peach Bowl between Oregon and Indiana.



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