Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat won’t stay friends after their near split.
Butler told Miami he wanted out, and with the trade deadline just two weeks away, it’s safe to say his days in South Beach are numbered.
Things have gotten so bad between the teams that the Heat recently suspended the All-Star for seven games due to “multiple incidents of conduct detrimental to the team.”
In the three games since returning to the lineup, Butler has averaged 13.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists. Miami is back from 1-2, most recently an embarrassing 116-107 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.
Rumors indicate that Butler may end up playing with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in Phoenix, but even if the Suns can get him, fear not. Butler always finds a way to destroy any organization he finds himself a part of.
For someone who has been surrounded by so much talent for 14 years in the NBA, Butler has a very difficult task to keep up. Zero rings. Three trips to the conference finals. None of the top five in Defensive Player of the Year voting is for someone who excels on that side of the ball.
Let’s face it: the guy is overrated.
And sure, he’s done amazing things in the postseason to earn the nickname “Playoff Jimmy,” but don’t let that title distract you from how much of a cancer Butler has ended up being in almost every locker room he’s been in.
We all remember when Butler was with the Timberwolves and teamed up with the linebackers to beat the starters, a move that seemed to be made to show that Minnesota couldn’t succeed without him.
Then Butler couldn’t do anything in Philadelphia, developing hatred for the 76ers when they chose to stick with Tobias Harris instead of him.
“Tobias Harris over me?” Butler once said after Miami knocked Philadelphia out of the playoffs in 2022.
Now Butler is with the Heat. Who could have seen this coming?
Adding Butler to your roster does not create a winning culture. It may seem like an outlier, but every team that has used Butler’s services goes through the same cycle: come out as a contender, have a few deep playoff runs to come up empty, and provide for Butler if they finally succeed. Hello.
Butler will never go all the way with any franchise if he continues to put his ego above building team chemistry. We’ve had to listen to him talk year after year, and his success on the court doesn’t seem to back up his trash talk.
Now 35, Butler is running out of time to establish himself as a true winner. This next team could be his last, unless, of course, things don’t go his way and he asks for another trade.
Any team that deals Butler better do it at the right price and should put their foot down when he arrives. If not, don’t be surprised to see another article like this this time next year.