The Heat suspended Butler three times over the span of a month before trading him to the Warriors in early February. Miami acquired Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and a top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick from Golden State, and Davion Mitchell from the Toronto Raptors in the deal.

Before Miami traded Butler to the Warriors, the Heat suspended him on three separate occasions for conduct detrimental to the team. Riley had publicly called out Butler for his lack of availability after last season’s first-round exit and the Heat declined to offer Butler a contract extension despite his role in leading the team to two NBA Finals.