The Golden State Warriors faced the Miami Heat in South Beach on Tuesday night, a game with significant postseason implications and an extra layer of drama thanks to Jimmy Butler. The outspoken former Heat star has been in an extended honeymoon phase ever since arriving in the Bay. This was his first chance to remind Miami of what it's missing.
Well... things didn't go his way.
Butler's Miami breakup was basically one long PR showdown between the six-time All-Star and Pat Riley, two of basketball's most stubborn and unyielding personalities. It's clear tension had been mounting for months, even years, before Butler's trade request went through, but it was an ugly end to a beautiful partnership. Jimmy Buckets embodied 'Heat Culture' for years. To see it end on such negative terms was a real disappointment.
The Heat gave Butler a nice tribute video, but the new Dubs wing was out for blood. We know he wanted to win this game even more than most, which makes his subsequent struggles — and Golden State's blowout 112-86 loss — even more damning. Miami kept Butler in check all night. He finished with 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists on 5-of-12 shooting in 29 minutes.
When the final buzzer sounded, Butler did not seem too interested in sticking around to greet his former teammates.
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Jimmy Butler ignores former Heat teammates on way to locker room after Heat stomp Warriors
Butler walked straight from the Golden State bench to the locker room after the horn, not interacting with a single Heat player. He said hello to a few friends in the stands, then disappeared into the tunnel.
Jimmy Butler walks straight from the bench, says hi to friends and walks to the locker room after the game. pic.twitter.com/Kgotnt7A5J
— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) March 26, 2025
Has there even been a "good" instance of players avoiding the handshake line? In any sport? When Tom Brady left Nick Foles hanging after the Super Bowl, we lampooned him. When the 'Bad Boy' Pistons left before the final buzzer against MJ's Bulls, it was framed as a watershed moment in an ESPN doc decades later.
If you want to avoid negative press, always shake the opponents' hand — at least after games with an added layer of import. Miami has been on a slide ever since Butler left. The Dubs, after a hot start to the Butler era, are beginning to cool off. This reads as sour grapes from Butler. For someone who projects so much self-confidence, this feels like the coward's way out.
I'm not going to sit here and make too big a deal out of a handshake line, but we know Butler established deep bonds with many of his ex-teammates in Miami. Bam Adebayo, Kevin Love, Tyler Herro. These are, on the surface, friendships that should transcend the business of basketball. Butler made a purely business decision to get the heck out of dodge, which was his right. To so plainly shy away from the spotlight when it goes the least bit sideways, however, is bad optics. It just is.