Heat's Jimmy Butler out vs. Kings After Shoulder Injury Diagnosed as Strain

The Miami Heat announced star forward Jimmy Butler will miss Friday's game against the Sacramento Kings with a shoulder strain even though the MRI on the injury came back clean.

Butler joined the Heat in July as part of a sign-and-trade deal with the Philadelphia 76ers and it didn't take long for him to showcase his value to his new team. He earned his fifth career All-Star Game selection and has averaged 20.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.3 assists across 44 games.

The 30-year-old Houston native has been slowed by injuries at times throughout his nine NBA seasons, though. He missed 117 games over his first eight years with a variety of ailments, most of them minor.

If Butler is sidelined for an extended time, Andre Iguodala figures to receive the biggest uptick in playing time as he gets up to full speed with the Heat after sitting out the first half of the season while with the Memphis Grizzlies. Jae Crowder, Derrick Jones Jr. and KZ Okpala are other options for an increase in minutes.

Miami's announcement noted head coach Erik Spoelstra does not think Iguodala, Solomon Hill or Crowder will play in Friday's game, though.

Ultimately, Butler is the most important player as the Heat attempt to transform into championship contenders for the playoffs, so any type of extended absence would be a massive setback. The team has enough depth to overcome a short-term injury, though.