There's no doubt that Jimmy Butler's standoff with the Miami Heat is the NBA's most dramatic storyline ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. However, the six-time All-Star annoyed the organization far before he publicly requested a trade on Jan. 2., via NBA insider Jake Fischer.:format(jpg)/f.elconfidencial.com%2Foriginal%2Fc69%2Fb53%2Fede%2Fc69b53edef0babdb9d119fdbc5251296.jpg)
“Butler, by that point [2022], was clearly established as the Heat's unquestioned lynchpin, essentially greenlighted by the franchise to come and go and play as he pleased,” Fischer recounted. “I remember visiting Miami's morning shootaround in Oklahoma City back in December 2022; Butler walked out prematurely with Kyle Lowry in lockstep. Mind you that was before Butler's injuries and intermittent availability, according to league sources, became a source of tangible tension within the organization.”
Lowry helped Butler carry Miami to the NBA Finals that season, which it lost in five games to the Denver Nuggets. That success, though, was despite the latter player's personality at the time.
“Sources say even Lowry, who remains as close away from the court as anyone to Butler, gradually grew fatigued by his teammate's headstrong tendencies on the floor,” Fischer continued. “Currently in his second season with his hometown Philadelphia 76ers, Lowry declined to comment last week when an interview was requested.”
While “Jimmy Buckets” is dynamic and exciting on the court, it seems that his dramatic tendencies can test the patience of people around him. Regardless, it's reached the point of no return in Miami as both sides try to finalize the divorce.
Butler, though, will have to play out the rest of the season with the Heat if they don't find a trade partner by Feb. 6. The five-time All-NBA team member is eligible to return from his seven-game suspension on Friday against the Nuggets.
Butler's discontent with Miami started over the summer when the organization refused to offer him a two-year, $113 million contract extension, via The Miami Herald's Anthony Chiang. Pat Riley and company didn't budge, though, and the five-time All-NBA Defensive Team member thus “lost his joy,” as he expressed on Jan. 2, via ESPN.
