On January 3rd, Beijing time, the Miami Heat suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Indiana Pacers, ending their two-game winning streak. In this game, Butler once again changed his hair color to green, but he still seemed disengaged on the court, playing for only 26 minutes with just six shots taken. His shooting percentage and three-point percentage were both above fifty percent (9 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds), giving the impression that Butler was simply waiting for a trade in a state of disarray.
This was a back-to-back game for the Heat, and surprisingly, Butler continued to play after only returning two days prior. It's worth noting that after being injured on December 21st, he rested for five games (12 days). However, his competitive form was as poor as it was in the first game of the back-to-back against the Pelicans, where he had only two attempts in the first quarter and still only two attempts in the first half, scoring 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists for a "222" stat line.
In the third quarter, Butler finally made his third attempt, and by the end of the third quarter, the fourth quarter turned into garbage time, allowing Butler to clock out early. The American media BC mocked the current Butler, comparing him to Harden when he was waiting to be traded from the Rockets, suggesting that he was in a state of complete disarray. In the entire game, Butler played for 26 minutes and 31 seconds, making 3 out of 6 shots and 1 out of 2 three-pointers, scoring 9 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 turnover.
The day before, in the game against the Pelicans, Butler played for 24.7 minutes, making 3 out of 5 shots and 1 out of 2 three-pointers, scoring 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. He appeared to be coasting on the court, fearful of further injury. His most notable feature was his constantly changing hair color, pink against the Pelicans, and green against the Pacers.
Butler's performance with the Heat this season has been lukewarm, averaging 18 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 55.3% and a three-point percentage of 36.7%, indicating that he still has the ability to compete. However, after the breakdown of his contract renewal negotiations with the Heat, his lack of effort on the court became apparent.
Before the game, the Heat's official team promoted Tyler Herro for the All-Star vote, making it clear that Herro is the new leader of this Heat team. Herro is averaging 24.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists this season, with a three-point shooting percentage of 41%, performing at the best level of his career. The Heat even sent out three tweets to promote Herro, which must have been a blow to Butler's heart.
Ashaley Nicole, a reporter for the Rockets, wrote: Regarding recent rumors about Butler, he will not be part of the Heat's future, not because he isn't a good player, but because the window for the Heat to win a championship has closed. Miami needs to consider its direction for the future, and that direction does not include Butler.
