Jimmy Butler's relationship with the Miami Heat seems broken beyond repair.
The team just suspended him for the third time this season, this time indefinitely. That decision comes after Butler reportedly left shootaround after being informed that he wouldn't start.
The team reportedly planned to start Highwood Haismith and have him come off the bench. Now, he could lose about $500,000 per game he misses.
However, it seems like the former Chicago Bulls star isn't sweating it. If anything, he's even cracking jokes about it.
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Butler took to Instagram to take a page off Kevin Love's book by addressing his situation with another hilarious reference.
He shared a clip from the 90s sitcom Martin, starring Martin Lawrence. There, Lawrence pokes fun at his friend Tommy, who's currently unemployed. Needless to say, it didn't take long before countless people cracked a big laugh at this, including Love and fellow NBA star Draymond Green:
Love has been quite active during the Butler saga. He's made references to Training Day, Boyz II Men, The Longest Yard, Succession, Scarface, and many more.
This story was already one worth following closely, and with all the memes and pop culture references, it just got even better.
Erik Spoelstra wants his team to stay focused amid Jimmy Butler drama
On a serious note, Erik Spoelstra doesn't want the Butler situation to be a distraction for the team. If anything, he wants them to handle this like business as usual:
"The point that I made to our team is get used to it," Spoelstra told ESPN on Thursday. "Get over it. This is the NBA life; this is the life we chose. If you think it's going to be predictable, you're really mistaken."
The Heat are 23-22 for the season and in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, which is far below where they hoped to be.
Butler has averaged 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game on 54% from the floor, and he's clearly still their best player despite his scoring regression this season.
The Phoenix Suns are reportedly still being very aggressive in their pursuit of Butler, who can become a free agent at the end of the season.
Then again, given how everything has unfolded between him and Pat Riley over the past couple of months, it doesn't seem like the Heat will do him any favors by sending him to any of his preferred destinations.
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