Jimmy Butler took quite a controversial decision when he decided to leave the Philadelphia 76ers and sign as a free agent with the Miami Heat. It looked like a strange move at the time, considering no one thought the Heat were going to be able to compete right away.
Butler got a lot of criticism for his decision and Sixers fans even said that it would be a while before he could even make the playoffs at South Beath. Fast-forward some months and Bulter is one win away from making the NBA Finals, while Philly’s season has been over for some weeks now.
Then again, it seems like Jimmy Buckets didn’t draw that much attention in the free-agent market anyway, and Marc Berman of The New York Post recently revealed that the New York Knicks reportedly weren’t interested in his defense and leadership:
When Jimmy Butler was a free agent in 2019, the Knicks’ past management wasn’t interested in Butler’s leadership and defense, per @NYPost_Berman pic.twitter.com/RS98R1shin
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 26, 2020
Butler had a reputation for being a bad teammate and a toxic presence in the locker room for his past with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves. Needless to say, that seems to be far from the truth during his first year with the Heat.
The New York Knicks had a lot of money to spend last summer and were reportedly poised to make a couple of huge free-agent signings, including Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Obviously, that wasn’t even close to happening. Ironically, they’ve now hired Tom Thibodeau – who coached Butler in Chicago and Minnesota – but don’t stand a chance of luring Jimmy Buckets to the Big Apple.
As for Butler, he’s once again silencing his critics by embracing a leadership role with the young Heat. The team has meshed perfectly and he looks like a tailor-made guy for Heat culture. It seems like a lot of people, including the Knicks, owe Butler an apology.
