Jimmy Butler and Miami Heat: A Bad Breakup or a Good Riddance?

When Jimmy Butler was with the Miami Heat, the team had become an ultimate nightmare for the other teams in the East. Since Butler's arrival in 2019, the Miami Heat made it to the NBA Finals twice, proving the team to be another dynasty. Doubting the Heat meant nothing short of a death sentence. In all fairness, Jimmy Butler had transformed the Miami Heat into a legitimate title contender but still fell short of getting his due NBA glory.

Everything seemed fine at the South Beach, despite critics slamming the decision at the start of Butler joining the Heat. In the past four seasons before coming to Miami, Butler played for four different teams and had trouble fitting in with all of them. However, Jimmy and Miami seemed like a match made in heaven. What went down between the Heat front office and Jimmy Butler that such a beautiful match had to end in a messy affair? Let’s dive deeper and try to find out.

Jimmy Butler Leads Miami Heat to NBA Finals

Before Jimmy Butler joined the Miami Heat, he was already an 8-year veteran. He had played in four different teams before and was considered a ‘locker room cancer.’ Butler’s stints with the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Philadelphia 76ers were all in vain, given his postseason success was limited to second-round exits. Hence, the critics showed valid apprehension when the Heat announced Jimmy Butler to their roster in 2019.

Success with Butler almost seemed imminent. The Heat fell below the set standards after LeBron James’ exit from Miami. The roster consisted of bad contracts, unmotivated players, and no star power, despite the proven prowess of coach Erik Spoelstra and the legendary Pat Riley being at the helm. Then came Jimmy Butler, recruited by Heat legend Dwyane Wade, who believed Butler’s personality fit well with the Heat’s culture.

Butler was acquired through a sign-and-trade deal from the Sixers in a four-team trade. Butler’s impact was imminent, which was already translating into his on-court performances. For example, in a December 2019 game against the Atlanta Hawks, Butler recorded a then-career-high 18 rebounds, 20 points, and 11 assists in a 135-121 overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks.

Butler’s arrival also helped develop young players like Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, and Duncan Robinson’s game around him. Though ending the 2019-20 season as a 5th seed, the Heat found a new form of rejuvenation when came the bubble playoffs. They went on to sweep the Indiana Pacers in the first round, defeat the Milwaukee Bucks in five, and then vanquish long-time rivals Boston Celtics in six.

For the first time since 2014, the Heat had advanced to the NBA Finals and were the first team 5th seed or lower to reach that stage. However, little did they expect the Los Angeles Lakers to close out the series in six. Jimmy Butler was close enough to achieve NBA glory, but not quite there yet.

This was just the beginning of a fairytale-like story between Butler and Heat. Alongside Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, Butler’s Heat seemed reminiscent of the Heatles from the time of LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade’s Big Three. The Heat had seven Finals appearances, two of which occurred during Butler’s reign. However, something just didn’t seem to add up. The love affair between Butler, Pat Riley, and the Miami Heat showed some visible cracks that weren’t bound to happen. But given Jimmy Butler’s history with his other teams, was this much of a surprise for anyone? Maybe yes, or maybe not. Critics might argue for something else, but the fans might have differing opinions depending on who we ask.

Cracks in the love affair between Jimmy Buttler and the Miami Heat

After failing to clinch the title during the Bubble, the Heat desperately needed more star power support around Jimmy Butler. However, all the measures they tried seemed to backfire on them. A great example of this would be the Heat trying to sign James Harden during his final years with the Brooklyn Nets. However, there were serious concerns about Harden fitting in with the ‘Heat Culture’, despite his being a caliber player averaging 35 points with his eyes closed.

Jimmy Butler has gone on record to accuse the Heat of playing ‘terrible’ basketball during the 2020-21 season. The following 2021 offseason, the Heat signed Kyle Lowry, PJ Tucker, and Gabe Vincent, who emerged as great role players around Butler. The Heat also made Butler sign a $146 million extension for three years, which meant he would have stayed until the 2025-26 season with the Heat. But an impending breakup was brewing despite an almost successful title run against the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals.

We have already discussed Miami's failure to get star power around Jimmy Butler or give him the help he deserved to play winning basketball. But do you think this was the case that made him consider a move away from Miami? If yes, that’s purely naive. The main issue was money, which Jimmy Butler, rightfully or not, deserved being eligible for a two-year $113 million extension.

The Heat never offered this extension to Butler, stating that he had missed about 25% of his games during his tenure with the team. Sounds pretty insane, right? This is the same player who took the Heat to two NBA Finals. However, as Pat Riley says, no player is greater than the team. At this point, the relationship between Jimmy Butler and the Heat organization was beyond repair. Butler, once again, went on record to say he didn’t expect on-court joy with the Heat again earlier this January. Following such explosive statements, the Heat organization suspended Butler for seven games indefinitely for missing training and team flights. Pat Riley was against trading Butler, but both had reached each other’s nerves. Maybe Butler knows what buttons to push for people to get things done, how he wants.

Who Won and Who Lost?

Less than 18 hours before the trade deadline, Butler had ways to get what he wanted from the Heat organization. Though he was traded to the Golden State Warriors, it was reported that within minutes of signing with the Dubs, he had agreed to a two-year $112 million contract with the franchise, as per Spotrac. This extension seems identical to what Miami was declining to offer him, kickstarting the charade that ended in a messy affair.

Reacting to the news of a new teammate, Jimmy Butler, Stephen Curry said, “I know there was a lot of drama down there.” The Warriors had just faced a 131-128 loss to the Utah Jazz that day. “ Who really knows what the story is? We expect to have a motivated, committed Jimmy,” Curry added.

Now, let’s talk about how Butler becomes a fit for the Dubs alongside fellow superstar Steph Curry. With Butler’s presence on both ends of the floor, Curry, during his peak years, did not have a player of Butler’s caliber. As a duo, Curry can relocate off Butler’s drives. Jimmy can cut, screen, and slip into pockets of space while Curry stretches the floor. Butler filled the hole that the Warriors tried to fill by experimenting with adding Dennis Schroder to the mix just a few months prior.

Butler’s impact might not be profound, but it is steady and decent enough to sustain the Warriors in pushing for a playoff berth. He is averaging 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game since arriving in the Bay Area. However, if we get some better statistical insights, the Warriors have outscored opponents by a massive margin of 13 points per 100 with Butler on the Floor. Furthermore, the Dubs now boast a +14.5 rating per 100 net rating since Butler’s arrival, the second-best in the league since the trade.

In many ways, the Warriors look similar to how they had found their footing in the 2014-15 season. As head coach Steve Kerr says, “Sometimes you’ve got to shake things up, and we shook things up. It just so happened that one of the best players in the league was available.”

As for the Miami Heat, they went 1-6 since trading Jimmy Butler. This could be a new era for Miami as the young star take over the reins. Miami received Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, Kyle Anderson, and a first-round pick as part of the deal. This might be a transition period as the team, once again, tries to find its footing and create an era in the league. So, it’s a win-or-lose situation for whom? The odds seem to be in Jimmy Butler’s favor, but perhaps it’s too soon to tell.