After starring in an unflattering moment with his head coach Erik Spoelstra and teammate Udonis Haslem, Jimmy Butler isn’t on the best terms with the Miami Heat. Although they have stated that the situation is part of the past now, reports suggesting the Butler-Heat marriage could end soon haven’t stopped coming.
Jimmy led this team to the NBA Finals two years ago, demonstrating that he can be the first option on a championship contender. Miami is playing great this season and the player has been key to their success again.
However, after his recent spat with Spoelstra and Haslem, many people think Butler could be living his last days with the Heat. Talking about this matter, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst revealed that he’s not sure about Jimmy’s long-term future with the Floridians, as his age and recent acts don’t help him.
Via Heat Nation:
“The Jimmy Butler-Erik Spoelstra thing, ya know, Jimmy Butler grinds on his teammates,” said Windhorst. “I mean, he brings a lot to the table. There’s been several organizations that have been like, ‘We are ready for him to be out of here.’ And there’s been organizations where he’s been ready to be out of there. There is not a long history of harmonious marriages there for Jimmy. So, when I’m seeing Spoelstra and I’m seeing Spoelstra saying to him, and I know it’s heat of the moment, ‘I always knew you were crazy.’ I think he’s speaking from his heart there, I think he does mean that. So I wonder, not only about this season, I wonder about Jimmy Butler long term in Miami, especially since he’s right on the edge there where his age and he’s been banged up a little bit, I just, I wonder about that.”
After three years in South Beach, Jimmy Buckets could leave the Heat. He never had any issues in Miami before, but the recent developments with Spoelstra and Butler made people think he could be playing for a different franchise soon. His last two stops haven’t ended in a good way. It’s well known how poor his relationship was with the Minnesota Timberwolves and that the Philadelphia 76ers favored Ben Simmons over him.
Now he could have a similar fate with the Heat. He went at it with one of the most respected players in the league, as well as the coach of the team. Maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves in this matter, but the idea of watching Butler play on a different team is not crazy at all.