The Miami Heat's three-game NBA losing streak has put their playoff hopes in jeopardy. Jimmy Butler's return to the lineup has fueled speculation, prompting Kendrick Perkins, a former LeBron James teammate,

With Wednesday night’s 117-108 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers marking the end of the Heat’s six-game West Coast trip and the end of Butler’s team-issued seven-game suspension, he’s eligible to return when the Heat opens a three-game homestand on Friday against the Denver Nuggets (8 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun).

If history is an indicator, Jimmy Butler is gone. Perhaps not in the moment, perhaps not this month, but when it comes to suspensions and sanctions issued during the Pat Riley era, a parting is

The six-time All-Star is eligible to return from suspension Friday, but the tension surrounding the team remains palpable, writes Mark Medina.

Tensions are high, but Butler can bolster his own market by playing well for Miami when his suspension ends after Wednesday's game in LA.

The defeat to the Lakers also marked the first game back by Heat center Bam Adebayo as he missed the Clippers game because of a lower back contusion. He suffered the injury in the win over the Portland Trail Blazers last Saturday after a bad fall right on the back which made him inactive for the first time this season.

Sports Illustrated has proposed a three-team Jimmy Butler trade that would see the Heat star heading to Los Angeles.

Jimmy Butler might have stirred the pot with him liking the Kevin Love's now viral Instagram post. Things seem to go South in Miami.

It was a 117-108 win for the Lakers and while it was not LeBron James ' best game by any means, he did step up to the plate in the fourth quarter. 9 of LeBron's 22 points on the night came in the fourth quarter, as he led all players in fourth quarter scoring to guide the Lakers over the line.

Jimmy Butler is expected to play for Miami again Friday when it hosts the Denver Nuggets, a game that would be his first since the Heat confirmed that he wants a trade and that they are trying to accommodate that request.

In the past, Riley has occasionally gotten into it with his superstars near the end of their Miami tenures. He had contract tensions with Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, which prompted Wade's stunning departure to his hometown Chicago Bulls in free agency during the summer of 2016.