The end of star forward Jimmy Butler’s time in a Miami Heat uniform was marred by drama and acrimony. He requested a trade out of Miami in January and was handed multiple suspensions by the team before he was traded to the Golden State Warriors prior to the trade deadline.
Sports pundit Dan Le Batard hinted in a recent report that there is “relief” in the Heat building that Butler is gone. According to Le Batard, “nobody wanted to be at work” around Butler, who was seen by sources as an “unstable ingredient.” That apparently might have been the case even before the drama reached new heights this season.
Dan Le Batard says people within the Miami Heat have always viewed Jimmy Butler as an “unstable ingredient,” and many were relieved after he left because no one wanted to be at work 😬
(🎥 @LeBatardShow )
pic.twitter.com/9e4PRKVJDe
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 6, 2025
The Heat traded Butler to the Warriors in a five-team deal that also included the Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors. The trade, which also saw the Heat give up some less notable assets, brought back three players and a future first-round pick to Miami.
In spite of Le Batard’s report, the Heat haven’t exactly played like a rejuvenated team since Butler changed squads and joined forces with guard Stephen Curry. After all, the Heat have a record of just 4-6 over their last 10 games and haven’t been above .500 in about a month.
It’s going to be quite hard for Miami to secure a top-six seed and guaranteed spot in the 2025 NBA Playoffs at this juncture. Through 61 games played in their 2024-25 regular season, the Heat are a whopping five games back of the Detroit Pistons for the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. The squad is stuck in the play-in for now.
Miami is on the heels of a loss, too. Missing multiple players, the Heat lost to the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers by five points on Wednesday. Big man Bam Adebayo didn’t get enough scoring help from his teammates for the Heat to pick up a victory. He dropped 34 points, but nobody else for Miami finished with more than 14.
Miami needs to string together some wins in order to cover some ground in the Eastern Conference standings, and the Heat will have a chance to get back in the win column against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. The Timberwolves have a record of 35-29 on the season and are riding a three-game winning streak.