In his current standoff with the Heat front office ( read: Pat Riley ), Miami attempted to avoid the “burn everything down” portion by suspending Butler seven games for conduct detrimental to the team ( read: attempting to force a trade ).

There was no pretense of Butler being a vibrant part of the Heat for Friday’s game. He shot by himself in warmups. There was none of the choreographed palm-slapping with teammates that’s a typical part of any pregame. Kevin Love did run out to him just before the center-tap and shake hands. It looked like the first time they’d seen each other.

The Jimmy Butler saga that has taken place with the Miami Heat over the last few months has been nothing short of interesting. From Butler's agent, Bernie Lee,

Jimmy Butler is back. Officially. His seven-game suspension is over, and he was not listed on the injury report in advance of Friday's game between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets. Less than two hours before tip-off,

Butler met with Heat president Pat Riley last week, and then met with Heat owner Micky Arison and chief executive officer Nick Arison on Thursday, according to league sources. Through it all, Butler has remained adamant about his desire to be traded.

Despite Jimmy Butler's return, the Miami Heat were unable to take down the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. Miami ended up falling to Denver by the final

Jimmy Butler walked out of the Miami Heat locker room on Friday night wearing a Michael Jordan jersey. It wasn’t a No. 23 jersey.

The Phoenix Suns want Jimmy Butler, but it's a pipe dream. These teams should be thought of more as destinations for the disgruntled Miami Heat All-Star.

The Pacers and Spurs are headed to Paris, effectively taking those teams off the board regarding streaming value during Week 13.

The Thunder have all they need to win as constructed now, but adding Johnson would elevate them to another level as far as the current contenders go. Johnson is an elite 3-and-D wing who has had a solid season thus far.

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler returned to the court after serving a seven-game suspension and made a bold statement about his situation during the postgame interview. The tension between Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat organization remains unresolved,