MIAMI — The tipping point apparently came in the wake of Wednesday’s victory over the New Orleans Pelicans when it came to Jimmy Butler’s souring relationship with the Miami Heat turning toxic.

In the wake of an uneven effort that night by Butler, Butler’s camp was left with the perception that the team was considering a suspension.

Then came Butler’s pointed comments after Thursday night’s loss to the visiting Indiana Pacers that he no longer saw a future with the Heat as a viable option.

While not a public trade request, which is banned by the NBA, backchannel machinations have made apparent that Butler would agree to a trade to any of the 29 other NBA teams, the South Florida Sun Sentinel confirmed.

With Butler offering his Thursday postgame comments shortly after coach Erik Spoelstra downplayed, and even dismissed, Heat concerns about simmering tensions and unease, there has yet to be a team response to Butler’s distress.

From Butler’s perspective, the Heat not only have made clear they do not plan to move forward with a contract extension, but the team has moved to an offensive system that does not allow him to display his true worth.

Butler is under contract for $48.8 million this season. He then holds a player option for $52.4 million for next season, making him eligible to move into free agency in July. His extension window with the Heat runs through June.

For now, the Heat’s immediate options, with a home game Saturday to be followed by a six-game western swing, include:

— Maintaining the status quo with Butler in the lineup, an approach Spoelstra indicated would be the case, albeit before Butler followed with his postgame comments.

— Having Butler remain away from the team with full pay, an approach Butler could challenge, with the National Basketball Players Association having offered pushback to such situations when a player does not agree to such a voluntary separation.

— Keeping Butler with the team but in a non-playing role, ostensibly sitting at the end of the bench.

— A suspension, which likely would not pass muster based on the perspective of what is considered requisite effort. The indication from the Heat side was a suspension had not been broached.

— A trade, with the NBA trading deadline on Feb. 6.

Against that backdrop is the responsibility of Spoelstra, Heat President Pat Riley and the front office to the balance of the roster, including guard Tyler Herro, who is in the midst of a breakout season.

“Jimmy wasn’t the only one who put Pat Riley in this situation,” an NBA party close to the Heat’s situation told the Sun Sentinel on Friday. “Pat Riley put himself in this situation by not doing something before this. Who didn’t see this coming?”

Charles Barkley, during Thursday night’s Inside the NBA on TNT, offered similar sentiment.

“Pat Riley is going to do what’s best for the Miami Heat,” Barkley said. “That’s one of the worst-kept secrets in the world. This thing’s been over. It’s been over. The situation is this: Pat Riley, who’s arguably the greatest ever, he’s not going to pay Jimmy Butler. Jimmy Butler’s upset.”

Barkley continued, “Jimmy’s mad. He can get mad. But this relationship has been over. It’s been over after I think some of the stuff that’s said after last season.

“So this is one of the worst-kept secrets. This relationship is over, because he’s not going to get an extension, plain and simple.”

Barkley concluded with: “What Jimmy’s going to have to do is start packing his stuff up.”

The latest kerfuffle with Butler comes in the wake of Riley last week issuing a statement that read, “We usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches. Therefore, we will make it clear — we are not trading Jimmy Butler.”

The situation is somewhat similar to the end of Shaquille O’Neal’s career with the Heat, when publicly expressed unease by O’Neal led to his trade to the Phoenix Suns in February 2008, less than two seasons after O’Neal helped lead the Heat to the franchise’s first NBA championship.

“If Jimmy wants a trade, he’ll definitely be traded. I agree with Chuck,” O’Neal said during that Inside the NBA segment. “Pat Riley will definitely oblige him.”

If a trade of Butler is not deemed feasible or advisable from the Heat’s perspective by the Feb. 6 NBA trading deadline, allowing Butler to simply depart in offseason free-agency would, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks:

— Put the Heat $47 million below the luxury-tax line.

— Remove the trade restriction of not being able to take back more in salary than sent out.

— Afford the Heat offseason access to a $14 million mid-level exception to add a player.

— Afford the Heat offseason access to the $5.1 million bi-annual exception to add a player.

— Leave the Heat with $50 million-plus in expiring 2025-26 contracts (Duncan Robinson, Terry Rozier, etc.) to put into play in trades.

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