Last year, the Miami Heat were effectively forced to trade Jimmy Butler, and the latest tidbit of information is enough to make fans even more frustrated. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, stated that Butler would behave himself, despite not having a contract extension. That didn’t happen.
“A Heat source said Jimmy Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, promised Miami that Butler would comport himself well last season and would never complain about not getting a contract extension,” Jackson wrote. “That proved to be untrue, leaving the Heat without any bargaining position at the trade deadline.”
Now, Butler is on the Golden State Warriors, and the Heat are in a very awkward spot.
What went wrong with Jimmy Butler?
There were plenty of pieces of information that came out after (and as) the Butler saga. Everything unfolded in a string of disastrous instances, all of which culminated in the messy divorce between Butler and the Heat organization.
During Butler’s time in Miami, he led them to two NBA Finals appearances and cemented himself as one of the best players to ever don the jersey. But by the end, he and Pat Riley were on bad, bad terms, and now, he’s helping Stephen Curry gun for a fifth ring.
Meanwhile, the Heat were left in a brutal position when they had to trade him. They knew he was going to leave in free agency if they didn’t trade him, which would have resulted in them getting nothing back in return. But what they did get back was certainly less than ideal.
In what ended up being a five-team trade that also included the Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, and Detroit Pistons, the Heat received Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, Davion Mitchell, and the Warriors’ 2025 (protected) first-round pick. Miami drafted Kasparas Jakucionis with the pick.
Jakucionis could end up being a great player for the Heat. Mitchell looks like a solid fit, Wiggins is a quality, high-end role player, and Anderson is a good veteran presence. But none come close to the return Butler could have, and should have, gotten for the Heat.
Butler is one of the best playoff performers of the last decade. He’s a bona fide All-Star when he stays on the court, and he fits in well with what the Warriors are trying to do.
But because of the way everything went down regarding his relationship with the Heat’s organization, and the fact that he didn’t end up behaving, Miami’s trade return was left to suffer.