Jimmy Butler is expected to return from his right knee soreness for Wednesday's game against the Boston Celtics.

Butler will have missed six games as he last played on Nov. 18 against the Toronto Raptors.

Butler has played in fewer than 60 games in five of the past six seasons.

The Miami Heat signed Dru Smith to a two-way contract and waived Orlando Robinson on Friday.

Smith averaged 17.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in three G League games.

Robinson averaged 7.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in two appearances for the Heat this season.

Jimmy Butler will miss the final two games of the Miami Heat's current road trip. Butler has returned to Miami to have his his troublesome left knee examined.

Butler played 38 minutes in the Heat's loss at the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday before missing Miami's overtime loss to the Washington Wizards on Friday. Butler will also miss games at the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Butler has had knee issues in the past. The Heat will likely be cautious with their star player, as they are dealing with several other injures at well. Miami only had seven available players in their loss at Washington.

Miami Heat center Omer Yurtseven is expected to miss three months due to left ankle surgery. Yurtseven is expected to undergo surgery this week after consulting multiple experts on his ankle injury.

Miami has been listing Yurtseven as out due to impingement in the ankle. Sources indicate that is being caused by bone spurs. Yurtseven hasn't played since the Heat's preseason opener due to the persistent soreness. It's a big loss for Miami, as Yurtseven was expected to be a rotation player ahead of restricted free agency this coming summer.

The Heat will waive Two-Way guard Dru Smith and will replace him with center Orlando Robinson on a Two-Way deal. That will give Miami some extra frontcourt depth while Yurtseven recovers.

The Heat have an open roster spot, but aren't far enough below the luxury tax line to fill it without going into the tax. Wanting to avoid being a taxpayer may keep Miami from filling that opening until much later in the season.

The Miami Heat are planning to waive Two-Way guard Dru Smith. Miami will then sign center Orlando Robinson to a Two-Way deal.

Part of the reason for the roster change for the Heat is a long-term injury to Omer Yurtseven. Robinson will give Miami more depth at the center position while Yurtseven is out.

Smith appeared in just one NBA game for the Heat. He's also only appeared in one G League game for the Sioux Falls Skyforce this season, as Miami has kept their Two-Way players with the NBA club due to injuries. Smith is likely to stay in the organization by joining the Skyforce upon clearing waivers.

Robinson was waived by the Heat towards the end of the preseason. In four games with the Skyforce this season the 7-footer has averaged 20 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and a block per game.

The Phoenix Suns have begun the process of engage, or re-engaging, teams in trade talks for Jae Crowder. One of the teams known to be interest in Crower is the Miami Heat. however, Phoenix has a specific ask that may be a non-starter for Miami.

Some with the Suns see Max Strus as an integral part of any deal that would send Crowder to Miami. Strus is now an established rotation player for the Heat and was a starter by the end of last season.

However, Miami has a hole at power forward and a surplus of players at the two-guard spot. Both Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson are signed to long-term contracts, while Strus is due for a new deal this offseason.

The Heat would have to send more than just Strus in a trade to Phoenix, as his salary doesn't match that of Crowder's. But being open to trading Strus could open the door for trade talks to advance.

The Miami Heat are set to rename FTX Arena after ending its naming rights deal with the bankrupt crypto firm FTX.

Miami-Dade County, which owns the arena, had signed a 19-year, $135 million deal with FTX in 2021.

"The reports about FTX and its affiliates are extremely disappointing. Miami-Dade County and the Miami HEAT are immediately taking action to terminate our business relationships with FTX. We will be working together to find a new naming rights partner for the arena," released the county and the team in a joint statement.

FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Friday after a steep fall in crypto prices left the company unable to cover customer account withdrawals.

FTX had signed several sponsorship deals with sports teams in the past, including with the Warriors and Wizards. 

The Miami Heat are off to a disappointing 2-5 start. But Miami star Jimmy Butler hasn't had his confidence shaken at all by the poor start.

“We’re still going to win the championship, and I don’t care what nobody says,” Butler said. “Count us out. We’re going to win the f***ing championship. I’m telling you. I don’t give a damn that we started 2-5.”

Butler was just one member of the Heat to remind the media that it's still early in the season. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said his team is “not in a panic about” but did criticize his players for trying to do too much as individuals. Spoelstra stressed that the Heat have to stay together as a team, which was something Butler, Kyle Lowry, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro all echoed, as well.

The NBA has attempted to crack down on teams tampering with opposing players in recent years. After a wave of punishments, the league and the NBPA are expected to revisit rules around tampering with pending free agents.

The NBA pushed the start of the free agent negotiating period up to 6:00 PM ET on June 30. This was after years of free agency opening at midnight on July 1, with many deals being agreed to immediately upon free agency opening. That six-hour head start still hasn't proven to be enough for many teams.

The league voided an agreed-to deal between the Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings in the 2020 offseason, because the teams got an early jump on the negotiations. The Bucks were forced to forfeit a second-round pick for tampering with Bogdan Bogdanovic, who was set to be a restricted free agent.

The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat were also forced to forfeit second-round picks after jumping the gun on free agent negotiations. The Bulls and Heat had agreed to sign-and-trade deals too early with Lonzo Ball and Kyle Lowry, respectively.

This week, the NBA took away two second-round picks from the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers were punished after they were found to have reached early agreements with P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr. In addition, the league is still in the midst of an investigation into the New York Knicks signing of Jalen Brunson.