"With Rafer Alston's exile extending into a fourth day, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the team is looking into free agent options to bolster its backcourt depth.

Spoelstra confirmed Monday he has not spoken with Alston, who was suspended indefinitely without pay after he failed to show up for Saturday's game against Atlanta.

Alston did not attend Monday's practice and was not on the team flight for Tuesday's game against Charlotte.

With the exception of a text message, the Heat claims Alston has not communicated with the team since Friday morning, just before he skipped that day's practice.

Alston has not been with the team since Thursday's victory against the Los Angeles Lakers, when he was benched the entire game after he lost his starting job to Carlos Arroyo in Tuesday's win against Golden State.

Addressing the issue Monday for the first time since Alston's absence, Spoelstra and several Heat players said there were no signs Alston was upset enough about losing his starting job that he would abruptly walk away without an explanation.

``It's unfortunate it came to this,'' Spoelstra said. ``There wasn't really any indication from his behavior or his impact with us. We're going through a major playoff push right now. You're either in or you're out. And I guess he's declared he's out. So we know who our group is now.''"