The saga between forward Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat dragged on for several weeks before he was finally dealt to the Golden State Warriors shortly before the trade deadline.
All of the drama between Butler and Miami seemingly drew a lot of negative attention to the franchise, and it might have impacted the Heat’s play on the court, too. From the time Butler made his now infamous postgame comments on Jan. 2 to the time he was traded, the Heat lost more games than they won.
The lion’s share of players in Miami’s locker room are reportedly relieved that they can move on from the Butler debacle, as the veteran seemingly did not have many people on his side by the time his stint with Miami came to a close.
“One thing I know for sure is that the large majority of Heat players are relieved this is over,” Ethan J. Skolnick of Five Reasons Sports wrote via Discord. “Butler did not have many allies left (fewer than one hand). Whether all share their thoughts, publicly, I don’t know.”
The Heat played their first game since the trade became official when they took on the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, and the team’s performance suggested a need for more scoring firepower.
Miami lost the game in question by 16 points and scored only 86 points as a team. Guard Terry Rozier led all scorers for the Heat with 20 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting from deep off the bench.
Fortunately for the Heat, scoring help is on the way. In the Butler deal, Miami landed forward Andrew Wiggins from the Warriors. Wiggins is having a solid offensive season, as he’s averaging 17.6 points per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from 3-point range.
It’s worth noting that Wiggins will also wear Butler’s No. 22 with the Heat. Butler wore that number for the entirety of his stint in Miami.
Wiggins could make his Heat debut in the near future. According to NBA insider Tim Reynolds, Wiggins is aiming to play his first game with his new team when Miami faces off against the defending champion Boston Celtics on Monday. Miami will have multiple days off before taking on the Celtics.
