A friend of Miami Heat superstar Jimmy Butler apparently took several shots at the Miami Heat on social media.
The user took a shot at the franchise’s culture, wondering why the team didn’t get more help for Butler ahead of the 2023-24 season.
The Heat were unable to acquire star guard Damian Lillard in a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason, as Lillard instead ended up getting dealt to Milwaukee. It’s possible that Butler’s friend is angered by that, but it’s hard to blame the Heat since there was only so much that they could offer for Lillard without making the team worse.
Miami has been extremely successful in Butler’s tenure with the franchise, making the NBA Finals two times and Eastern Conference Finals three times across four seasons.
However, the team has not been able to capture an NBA title. Butler, who has not won a title in his career, may be running out of time to win one since he’s now 34 years old.
Despite his age, Butler is still playing at a high level, as evidenced by his play in the postseason in the 2022-23 campaign.
For the entire playoffs, Butler averaged 26.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game across 22 contests. He shot 46.8 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from 3-point range.
Against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, Butler put on a show. He scored 35 points in Game 1 to lead the Heat to an upset victory.
Then, the Heat star followed that up with monster performances in Game 4 and Game 5 of the series to close things out. In Game 4, Butler scored 56 points, hitting 19 of his 28 shots from the field. He then turned in a huge Game 5, scoring 42 points in Milwaukee to clinch the series.
Despite the team’s success last season, the Heat let guard Gabe Vincent walk in free agency. He signed a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Miami also lost a key shooter from its rotation, as the team executed a sign-and-trade deal to send Max Strus to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With the Heat also missing out on Lillard, it’s possible that Butler’s friend feels that the team isn’t building enough around him this season.
Only time will tell if the Heat have a roster that is good enough to compete for a title, but the team has been in the mix in just about every season of Butler’s tenure.