Jimmy Butler Suspended 2 Games by Heat After Missing Team Flight amid Trade Rumors

The Miami Heat suspended Jimmy Butler again on Wednesday.

ESPN's Shams Charania first reported Wednesday afternoon that Miami planned to suspend the six-time All-Star for two games because he missed a team flight with plans to join the team later in the evening.

Instead, he will miss the team's two-game road trip against the Milwaukee Bucks (Thursday) and Brooklyn Nets (Saturday).

This comes after Butler recently returned from a seven-game suspension and took the court for the team's last three contests. He finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists in Tuesday's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers but won't have a chance to build on that performance in the immediate future.

Miami suspended Butler earlier this month for "conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks. Through his actions and statements, he has shown he no longer wants to be part of this team."

That announcement also explained the team was open to listening to trade offers, especially after Butler himself said he didn't believe he would find his "joy" on the basketball court if he remained with the Heat.

Butler has remained in the spotlight ever since as trade discussions continue to dominate the NBA landscape.

On Tuesday, Charania reported that "Butler has tripled down on his trade request. He did it to Pat Riley's face, and last week he did it to Micky Arison, the team owner and CEO. I'm told the Heat have had some productive conversations on a potential Butler trade this week."

There have also been plenty of suggestions he could eventually be moved to the Phoenix Suns, with NBA insider Marc Stein reporting "the whole league knows he wants" that.

The colorway of his shoes during Tuesday's game seemed to suggest as much as well:

Yet this suspension means the Suns and any other team that would potentially be interested in him will have fewer games to evaluate his overall approach and effectiveness on the court at 35 years old.

And it is yet another layer of drama to the entire situation.