NBA Rumors: Heat 'Insistent' Rumored Jimmy Butler Suspension Threat Is 'BS'

Things are getting ugly quickly between Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat, with the two sides seemingly offering different views over whether or not the team threatened to suspend him for his recent actions.

Per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Heat are "insistent" they never threatened to suspend Butler after Wednesday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans, calling it "BS."

Jackson reported the "Butler camp has been telling people" the Heat levied the threat against the six-time All-Star.

The Pelicans game was Butler's first appearance since Dec. 20 due to an ankle injury he suffered against the Oklahoma City Thunder and an illness.

It wasn't exactly the welcome-back moment the Heat were hoping for from Butler. He finished with nine points and four rebounds in 25 minutes in a 119-108 win. He also didn't play the entire fourth quarter, even though the Pelicans got within seven points with 6:57 remaining.

Head coach Erik Spolestra told reporters after the game that Butler's two-week absence was the primary driving force for him not appearing in the fourth quarter.

"Thirteen days is a long time away, and I just went with the group there in the fourth that was getting us the most, and to see if that group could close it out," Spoelstra said.

Miami played the second leg of a back-to-back on Thursday against the Indiana Pacers. Butler started and played 27 minutes, but once again failed to make much of an impact with nine points on 3-of-6 shooting.

The most interesting part of the night came after the Heat's 128-115 loss when Butler said he wants to "get my joy back from playing basketball" and that it will "probably not" happen in Miami.

Heat president Pat Riley, in response to a Christmas Day report from ESPN's Shams Charania that stated Butler preferred to be traded, said in a statement the team is "not trading Jimmy Butler."

This appears to be a standoff between two extremely strong-willed people. Butler has a history of burning bridges when he wants out of a situation that doesn't fit what he wants anymore.

Riley is not one who is likely to be bullied or pressured into making a deal for the sake of making a deal.

The Heat need to figure something out quickly as they are currently stuck in the middle of a mediocre Eastern Conference with a 17-15 record. They have just over a month until the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 6 to make any moves to improve their roster.