Jimmy Butler suspended indefinitely for leaving practice, as his Heat era might mercifully be over

We have another update in the Jimmy Butler saga, and it includes Butler being angry, and the Miami Heat responding by suspending him.

Yes, this is a new story, I promise. Shams Charania of ESPN reported that on Monday, Butler stormed out of Heat shootaround when he was informed that the team would be starting Haywood Highsmith instead of Butler moving forward. In response, the Heat suspended Butler indefinitely, likely ending his playing days with the team.

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Butler leaves practice, gets indefinite suspension from team

The first time Butler was suspended by the team, most of the NBA public thought that was the end of his tenure in Miami. But he served his suspension, and — somewhat awkwardly, to be fair — returned to the Heat. But a few days later, Butler missed a team flight and was suspended again by the team, this time for two games.

Those two games have passed, and Butler was with the Heat on Monday, apparently preparing to play in Miami's next game, but then this incident took place, and Butler is suspended indefinitely.

If you're counting at home, that's three suspensions for Butler — this one feels like the last. The feud between Butler and Pat Riley is clearly far past reconciliation, and an "indefinite" suspension is code for "just don't show up while we try to trade you."

The Phoenix Suns have long been the favorites to land Butler. With the trade deadline just over a week away, there will surely be more updates to this story in the coming days. The NBA is a soap opera and Jimmy Butler insists on being the main character.