Miami Heat: Decoding why Jimmy chose Heat over Kawhi Leonard

It has been heavily reported since it occurred that Jimmy Butler chose to join the Miami Heat over joining Kawhi Leonard. What does that mean though?

The Miami Heat are heading into a season that sees them having something that they haven’t had in quite a few years. They are a team that features a top tier player in the league, one of the best players in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, and one that still has several prime years left.

While the Miami Heat seemed firmly in the driver’s seat for quite some time, as Jimmy Butler had seemingly wanted to be in Miami for a while, there were times when it seemed as though it wouldn’t happen. From the snafus they encountered while attempting to make the deal initially to having to rework the deal to get it somewhat finalized, it wasn’t as easy as the great Pat Riley made it seem.

On top of the difficulties associated with getting the deal done, there are other factors to consider when thinking about just how miraculous it is that Butler is a member of the Miami Heat today. Complicating the decision was probably the fact that they were literally a few bounces of the ball from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals while he was a member of the Philadelphia 76’ers in this past season’s playoffs. This was surely something he considered when choosing where he would sign.

Speaking of those “few bounces” and complicating factors, there was something else that probably made the decision at least a little more difficult for Butler. It has been reported that before going after Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder, but after missing out on bringing Kevin Durant along with him to the L.A. Clippers, Kawhi Leonard reached out to Jimmy Butler about perhaps teaming up. Here is a quote from an appearance by the New York Times’ Marc Stein on ESPN’s The Rich Eisen Show, per the USA Today’s Thunder Wire.

"Basically, the whole week of free agency is when he zeroed in on Paul George. Ya know, he didn’t start there. He made a run at Jimmy Butler first, and that was going on even during the playoffs. And he also explored Kevin Durant. ‘Kevin, would you come to the Clippers with me?’ … We’ve known the Clippers have wanted Kawhi for a very long time. But Kawhi wanted to be joined by an elite-level player. And I’m not trying to suggest that Paul was his third choice. They’re obviously friends and he loves Paul George, but Paul George wasn’t gettable. He has three more years on his contract, two before a player option. So you wouldn’t have targeted Paul George first because even Kawhi Leonard wouldn’t have thought he was available."

For Jimmy Butler to turn Kawhi Leonard down in order to join the Miami Heat, that says a ton about Butler and the Miami Heat. For Butler, it says that he is his own man and although he wants to win at the highest level, he also wants to forge his own path which may not be the easiest one.

For the Miami Heat, it says that they have built something that attracts those that believe in or embody those principals. If the Miami Heat, Pat Riley, and Erik Spoelstra could create a player, it would be Jimmy Butler.

Perhaps they would make a few tweaks, making him a bit taller or perhaps even giving him a few notches on his three-point shooting, but they wouldn’t change much else. Jimmy Butler embodies what Heat Culture means, he’s the walking talking personification of the very essence of what that aphorism stands for.

While it is yet to be seen how big they can win on the court together, the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler are already winners so far. Miami is a winner because they know what they want, what they have, and how they want to go about accomplishing their goals.

Jimmy is a winner because he knows himself, what he wants in an organization, and how much of himself and his beliefs he is willing to sacrifice to achieve his own goals. At the end of the day, what it also means is that both parties made the right decision and that they are a perfect fit for each other.