Love, who has been on a joking tear on social media as of late, ribbed Butler yet again on Instagram. This time, the Heat forward made fun of himself in the process, as he joked about not having much money to help Butler (and his agent Bernie Lee) to recoup the money they lost since he’s “only” making the veteran minimum.
With Butler missing seven games due to suspension, the Heat forward will be losing roughly $2.36 million — an amount of money that is nothing to scoff at. And while Love would want to be a real friend and do what it takes to weather the financial hit Butler took, $2.36 million is around 61 percent of Love’s salary for the season.
Love, of course, has made plenty of money throughout the course of his successful career. The Heat veteran big man has made around $273 million in his NBA career thus far, and that is without counting the endorsement deals he’s managed to earn for himself. If he tried, he can definitely help out Butler. But Butler doesn’t need help anyway, since he’s making $48.8 million this year with a player option worth $52.4 million for next year.
Regardless, Love is simply making light of what is a very serious situation for the Heat. It’s not like Pat Riley and the Heat to be strong-armed in this sort of situation, so Butler might be there to stay with the team until at least the end of the regular season, so at the very least, Love’s presence should be helpful in diffusing whatever tension there may be in the locker room.
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Heat lose in Jimmy Butler’s first game back from suspension
With there being no imminent trade sending Jimmy Butler away to someplace he thinks are greener pastures, the Heat have no choice but to re-integrate Butler into the team — for now. This is an opportunity as well for Butler to up his trade value and reassure a prospective suitor that he can still be as impactful as he was in the past.
However, Butler’s first game back did not go according to plan. The visiting Denver Nuggets blew the Heat out by 20, 133-113, with Miami struggling on the defensive end for most of the night. Butler, for his part, put up 18 points, three rebounds, and two assists in 31 minutes of play.
Could there be hope of a reconciliation between Butler and the Heat? Perhaps. But that may be too far of a chasm to bridge.
