After missing seven games with a suspension that followed questions concerning his effort and his public trade request, Jimmy Butler returned to a Heat team that might have expected fireworks.

Jamal Murray scored 30 points, Nikola Jokic extended his NBA lead with his 17th triple-double of the season and the Denver Nuggets spoiled Jimmy Butler’s return by beating the Miami Heat 133-113 on Friday night.

With the Jimmy Butler situation still uncomfortable and unresolved, the Memphis Grizzlies are "lurking" and have "been in contact" with the Miami Heat, according to ESPN's Tim Bon

Though there may still be some negotiating distance between the parties, the stars seem to be aligning for (or at least toward) the Miami Heat trading

Bernie Lee, Butler’s agent, posted a press release on X akin to Michael Jordan’s famous “I’m back” statement, which ended his first NBA retirement in 1995. Leaning into the Jordan theme — or troll — Butler posted photos on his Instagram story wearing the Jordan No. 45 Bulls uniform.

In big-time sports, all sorts of sins can be overlooked in the name of talent. Assault and battery? Domestic abuse? Weapons charges? If you can run fast enough or jump high enough, those are issues a forgiving franchise can massage into minor infractions. What about the crime of being a serial pain in the ass? It depends.

The Denver Nuggets are 28-19 after three straight losses on their current five-game road trip. Currently sitting at fourth place in the Western Conference, the Nuggets have mostly bounced back from an inconsistent start to the season, though weaknesses on defense continue to show.

Butler was informed at shootaround that he would come off the bench behind Haywood Highsmith in this game, which prompted Butler to walk out of shootaround. From there, the Heat suspended Butler “indefinitely,” a story broken by Shams Charania of The Athletic and since confirmed by the team.

Where will Jimmy Butler end up before the 2025 NBA trade deadline? Only four teams realistically make the most sense to acquire the disgruntled veteran wing.

Scoring has been climbing as of late, but this year the stat inflation has revealed itself in a more subtle way.

Almost every team gets involved with NBA trade deadline deals in the modern era. So, what trades should each team make?

Do you like drama? (Again, we'll assume so if you like sports.) So, to recap, if you answered "yes" at least once, you're going to love today's UEFA Champions League action: 18 simultaneous games, all streaming on Paramount+,