One way the 2024-25 season is recalled is due to the bitter ending between Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.
Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat have made two unprecedented NBA Finals in five full seasons. But this past season has all suddenly collapsed.
Frustrated with Perlily’s public callout, Butler ignited a chaotic standoff with the heat.
After Miami suspended Butler three times, the players and teams split up at a six-trade deadline, and the 35-year-old was sent to the Golden State Warriors.
Arrived in Butler’s Bay Area, they met on suspicion, considering the troublesome All-Star exit from South Beach.
When the Warriors decided to give Butler an extension, many raised eyebrows and led him to a two-year, $121 million deal.
However, almost instantly, the atmosphere around Golden State was improved with Butler’s arrival.
Steve Kerr, who appeared on Tim Kawakami’s show, knew Butler was an absolute standout for the behind-the-scenes warrior since he joined the team this past midseason.
“Well, Eric Spoelstra immediately told me, ‘He’ll be great for you.’ And I’ve really known SPO since the last few summers and I trust him,” Kerr revealed.
“I believed in him, and he was right. That means within a few days of his arrival, Jimmy was so easy to speak.
“He reminded me of Andre (Iguo Dara) with the intelligence of basketball, but also had a global perspective and an interest in maturation.
“It was really fun to get to know Jimmy right away and see the impact he had on our team and the locker room.”
Butler arrived as a savior and the Warriors had to inject them with beliefs that could advocate for this year’s NBA Championship.
After falling below play-in on a 25-26 record, the Dove burned a 23-7 run to end the regular season. They managed to get into the NBA playoffs and beat the second-placed Houston Rockets in the competitive seven-game opening round until they were eliminated in five games by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the West semi-finals.
Kerr and the Warriors are ecstatic that Butler has bought their vision and are connected well with the players who are seen as his previous hilarious moment with Buddy Heald.
“He was an absolute dream,” Kerr added of Butler. “I know that everything that happened in Miami didn’t suggest that, but it’s just based on my experiences on Jimmy’s influence and his personality and everything that was.
“He’s a model citizen and has been a great guy to coach the last few months.”