As the Golden State Warriors visit the Miami Heat tonight, it marks the first time since becoming a member of the Warriors that Jimmy Butler plays against his former team. He was moved in a trade that, although somewhat surprising, had been brewing in months-long drama that spread through press conferences and social media.
When the trade happened, both teams were on similar footing, as the Warriors (25-26 record at the time of the move) were searching for answers as Steph Curry didn't have consistent help, and the Heat (25-25 record at the time of the move) were having underwhelming seasons.
However, the move has catapulted the Warriors, who have a 16-4 record since Feb. 7 (tied for the third-best record in that span) when they added a seemingly motivated Butler to the fold. Their scoring, free throw shooting and steals have been positively impacted, as Butler's constant rim pressure mid-range shot have added a different dimension to the Dubs offense.
At the same time, having another star that can hunt his own shot has freed up Stephen Curry to the point where his play has improved: he went from averaging 22.7 PTS on 43.1 shooting and 38.9 percent beyond the arc in 42 games before the trade to 27.5 PTS on 48.1 shooting and 40.7 percent beyond the arc in 18 games since the trade. And that's without diving into his elite defense, and the game-wrecking havoc he has caused paired with Draymond Green. While their team defense was already good without Butler, it's gone up another notch since Feb. 7.
For Miami, while they only had Butler on the court for half of the time (25 of 51 games), the rumors, suspensions and comments from both Butler and the team's side were a hard-to-avoid distraction, so getting rid of Butler could've been a fresh start. Yet, they've gone 4-17 (third worst record in that span) since acquiring Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, a protected first-round pick and Davion Mitchell from the Toronto Raptors in a separate deal, which included a 10-game losing streak up until two days ago.
As the Warriors look to move past the Memphis Grizzlies for fifth place in the Western Conference (2.0 games back) and the Heat look to move up in the Eastern Conference's Play-In picture (they're 2.5 games back of the Chicago Bulls for ninth place, the story centers on Butler, what looks he may give to Riley, if he shows up, how his former team plays him, what his interactions with his former teammates will be, but most importantly: how will the Heat crowd react to Butler, and what will his Heat legacy be? As is the case with Butler, it's complicated ...
How Jimmy Butler's Heat exit compares to his past ones
Whether you defend Butler or not, all four of his splits with a franchise have been messy, with both sides often bearing blame.
With the Chicago Bulls, he went from being the last pick of the first round to becoming a three-time All-Star who led the Bulls to the playoffs four times, including two semifinal trips, in spite of their MVP Derrick Rose being hindered with injuries during those years. But, whether it's because of Jimmy reportedly not getting along with his teammates or because "... ,everybody wanted to show how good they could be on any given night," according to Butler, the relationship soured, and after a first-round exit in 2017, he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In Minnesota, he led the Timberwolves to a playoff berth for the first time in 13 seasons, averaging the third-highest points and second-highest steals of his career. However, it all ended in drama after just one season and a half, culminating in a now-infamous practice, with his ire centered on his young co-stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, and how they didn't contribute to winning as much as he expected.
That led him to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he formed the best starting lineup in the Eastern Conference along with Ben Simmons, JJ Redick, Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid, and played 67 games with the franchise between the regular season and playoffs. The team nearly fulfilled their winning expectations, as they ended up being one win away from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, losing in Game 7 to the Toronto Raptors at the hands of Kawhi Leonard's historic shot. Come free agency, the 76ers chose to keep Harris over Butler, though trouble might've come anyway if he had stayed, as he's pointed to leadership problems during his brief time with the team.
Which leads us to Miami, the only one of these situations that he actively chose, as he signed a four-year, $142 million deal with the franchise in free agency. With his clear ambition to win no matter what, paired with their "Heat Culture" mantra and experienced coaching of Erik Spoelstra, the fit seemed like a no-brainer. Seeing as they reached the playoffs in all five seasons that he played with them, including two trips to the Finals and being a win away from a third one, I would say it was.
Until it wasn't. Whether it was his ego or confidence, Butler, who missed the 2024 playoffs with a sprained MCL, stated that the Heat would've sent the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks home (the Heat lost to the Celtics in a five-game first-round series). Riley, when asked about it, shut Butler down. Whether this was the start of something or the continuation of something we didn't know was happening, this was the beginning of the end of the Heat/Butler relationship. Both sides didn't reach an agreement on an extension, trade rumors about the free agent-to-be began around Christmas, the team publicly commented on the rumors in an unprecedented move, and multiple suspensions were the straw that broke the camel's back. Butler went from initially not wanting to stay with the Warriors long-term to immediately signing a two-year, $112 million extension upon his arrival in Golden State.
At 35 years old, and playing with a Warriors team with Curry and Green at the end of their run, this could be the end of the line for Butler. In spite of him winning in every franchise he's been a part of, his messy exits and physical decline have left few suitors interested in his services. After all, it was a Warriors team way over the hard cap that acquired Butler, and all it took was Wiggins and a protected pick as the core pieces dealt.
Having said that, it would be irresponsible to just put the blame on Butler, and not part of it on the franchise's side. Because, even if you think Butler went too far in his reaction to certain situations, his justification for said reactions can't be denied.
Pat Riley (and all ex-Butler teams) isn't safe from criticism in this one
On the Bulls front, while his specific allegations of people playing for themselves are tough to prove, it's fair to point to their history of poor team building since Michael Jordan left, and think that Butler didn't have a point in his frustration. That's particularly true by his final season, where the team gambled on a big three of him, Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo to compete, and would've been worse moving forward had he not been moved.
The Minnesota and Philadelphia situations are all one and the same: both were franchises that were one piece away from making a playoff run, Butler provided what they needed, and while they were primed for many years of being a competitive team, they didn't have the leadership structure in place to keep a winning culture going.
Minnesota took three seasons to get back to the playoffs after the 2017 run, and seemed to have a good thing going by making the Western Conference Finals last season with Chris Finch at the helm, Towns and Rudy Gobert controlling the paint and a superstar with some of Butler's tenacity in Anthony Edwards. But they traded Towns and have had ups and downs this year. Philly, on the other hand, has cycled through many supporting casts and co-stars next to Embiid, but haven't gotten as close to winning as they were in 2019, and it doesn't seem like they'll be doing so in the near future with their duos' recurring injuries.
With Miami, while they made two Finals runs while being underdogs, as in 2020 they were the first fifth seed to make it there and in 2023 became the first eight seed in an 82-game regular season to make it there, it's fair to say they should've done more. That, ultimately, falls on Pat Riley for not improving the team.
While Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo have grown offensively as the years have passed, Butler needed a proven star next to him to lead Miami further. Every time there was a star that wanted out, the Heat were in on the trade rumors, but ultimately didn't pull the trigger on any of them. Kevin Durant, the best scorer of all time, was allegedly about to become a Heatle, but ended up with the Phoenix Suns. Damian Lillard, a top-five scoring guard in the league, ended up with the Milwaukee Bucks instead of Miami. James Harden, the most unstoppable offensive force of the last decade, has been traded three times in the last five years, Miami rumored in all of them, but instead ended up twice on Eastern Conference teams. That falls on the front office, and the person in charge of that in South Beach is Riley.
But even if we ignore the hypothetical moves, Riley's actions and comments about just Butler leaves many questions: why criticize comments he made about the Heat's chances of winning with him publicly? He could've answered when asked about it that Butler is entitled to his opinion, that he likes the confidence he has in himself and that's why they acquired him, and that he has all intentions to make a team that can beat the Celtics and Knicks. Why, in spite of everything Butler has done for the franchise, not reward him with even a short extension? I get he's on a decline, but sometimes giving stars contracts is about what they've done, rather than what they could do.
Why make a public comment denying the Butler trade rumors? His starting by saying "We usually don't comment on rumors ..." goes to show that making such comments isn't wise. Whether the suspensions in the final months of the Butler tenure were warranted or not, there could've been more done on the team side to avoid getting to that point. After all, it isn't the first time this has happened with Riley and a star player: Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James and even Dwyane Wade all left after butting heads with Riley.
All in all, while certainly one could argue Butler went about it the wrong way to force his way out, his feelings were warranted, with the team failing to elevate itself to the standard that the on-court play demanded.
How will Jimmy Butler's time in South Beach be remembered?
Butler himself, understandably so, doesn't seem too fond, at least as of now, of his time in Miami. Asked about it, he said: "We were alright. We didn't win nothing like we were supposed to. So I don't know. We made some cool runs. We had some fun. I think that's all we did.". While he's looking to win more with Golden State, the Heat gave Butler the best taste of winning he's had in his entire career. While he can say that they didn't win "like we were supposed to", the fact is that they overachieved every step of the way, which is a compliment to the coaching staff and players, and an indictment on management for not taking advantage of that window.
That's Butler's legacy. It's — in spite of his teams not doing enough — him doing everything to put them over the top, and getting ever so close to doing so. Miami was a match made in heaven, and they had a great relationship that led to a consistent string of success in the conference only rivaled by Boston, and the most the franchise has seen outside of the big three days. Winning heals all wounds, and I think that ultimately will lead to Butler being remembered as a positive in Miami.
I would even venture out so say, next to Dwyane Wade, he's the most beloved Heat player in history. Despite not being in the top 10 of minutes played with the franchise, Butler ranks in the top-10 in triple-doubles (1), free throws made (3), assists (8), steals (8), points (9), and 2-point field goals (10). His playoff performances against the Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers are a level of play only seen in a Heat uniform when Wade and James went ballistic in the 2012 and 2013 playoffs when the Heat were on the verge of elimination at numerous points.
With all of that in mind, I find it hard to believe that the Heat crowd won't react positively, both on the internet and in the arena, to Butler, tonight and moving forward. He earned it through his play, and fans seem to be on his side in regards to the failures to surround him with adequate help. The Heat have already taken the step of stating they'll have a tribute video for him, which they don't give out for anyone (everyone else in the league does though), and I expect him to be cheered after it.
While he his the opponent — meaning the crowd won't be cheering his every move scoring on their team — I would think his success will be applauded by Heat fans. Above all, considering their diverging paths since the deal, Butler being on a Warriors jersey is the end of an era for Miami, who look to avoid an under .500 finish for the first time since 2019. Even if they do, it'll be tough to shake off what could've been with Butler still on the team.