The Miami Heat fell in 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the man who was arguably the MVP of that series and was the one that missed the three that might have helped them beat the Boston Celtics after all. However, it wasn’t to be, and the Heat crashed out of the playoffs, leaving them with a few questions about how they will move forward.
Tyler Herro is looking to get a starting role and will be in line for a new contract soon. Kyle Lowry is only getting older, and Bam Adebayo has shown that there are still inconsistencies in his game. And despite putting up some incredible numbers, Jimmy Butler hasn’t been able to lead them to a championship on his own.
The consensus seems to be that the Heat needs one more excellent piece, and they will be able to cross the hurdle, but Kendrick Perkins has expressed his belief that this will not be enough. According to the Miami Herald, Perkins has said that Miami needs to blow up the current iteration and move away from Jimmy Butler:
“After the Heat fell behind 3-2 against Boston, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins shockingly said the Heat should consider trading Jimmy Butler and rebuild, asserting Miami will never win a title with this core.”
Barring the blip that was last season, the Heat have been a serious force in the Eastern Conference, making it to the NBA Finals in 2020 and getting so close to the Finals this season. And Butler has arguably been the biggest reason why making Perkins’ take seem even more bizarre.
While a couple of key moves aren’t out of the question, trading Jimmy Butler doesn’t seem like the wisest decision; he just showed Philadelphia why they were wrong to let him go in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. It remains to be seen what Pat Riley and the Heat will do to take the next step and finally reach another championship.
