With a fall-off to the 2024-25 season for the Miami Heat, head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke to the media following the end of their season. One conversation that was brought up was the sad ending to forward Jimmy Butler and his time in a Heat uniform.
Jimmy Butler was traded before the trade deadline in February in a deal made between the Miami and the Golden State Warriors. The trade involved Butler moving to the Warriors and Miami got Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and a protected first-round pick in exchange. It was a move that Jimmy Butler asked for, as he was not happy with Miami and officially requested a trade in early January. “Even if we managed it perfectly, there’s always second guessing on what we could’ve done better… When I look back on it, it was a good five year run,” Spoelstra said to the media when speaking upon his time coaching Butler on the Heat.
Jimmy Butler was the lead man for the Miami Heat in his tenure from 2019-2025. Those years included a ticket to the NBA Finals in 2020 and 2023 where Miami wasn’t able to get over the Finals’ hump and lost in both series. It was a disappointing end to the seasons, but the Heat were a lower seed in both seasons. In 2020, Miami was a No. 5 seed and in 2023 they were a No. 8 seed – making their way through the post season as a team that fans weren’t expecting. Now, Jimmy Butler is playing in the 2025 postseason as a No. 7 seed with the Golden State Warriors and have a convincing 3-1 lead over the No. 2 Houston Rockets. On the other side, Miami just got swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a series that the Cavs completely controlled.
