The Jimmy Butler trade saga came to a blissful end on Feb. 6, when it was announced that the forward would be heading to the Golden State Warriors to assist Steph Curry.
In the weeks leading up to the decision, Butler's desire to leave Miami was no secret at all. In fact, it was an extremely public stand-off that led to three suspensions and lots of speculation.
So, it's not terribly shocking (though it is interesting) to hear that the Heat were reportedly all too relieved to see Butler go when the time finally came, per Thursday's episode of The Dan Le Batard Show.
Le Batard's remarks came as part of a larger conversation regarding what players owe their organizations and vice versa, as seen through Butler's faltering connection with team president Pat Riley.
"The relief in that building that Jimmy Butler is gone, not just because of what's happened over the last couple of months, but because of how things were bent to him," the Heat insider said. "And if you talk to enough Heat people you'll know that they felt like they were dealing with something—and they were not saying this publicly in any way—an unstable ingredient that they used as a furnace and fuel to get to the championship and then when it became about money problems, nobody wanted to be at work.
"Like, nobody wanted to be at work around this person who was an unstable element."
Watch part of that below:
Was Jimmy Butler's departure from Miami a relief to the organization? pic.twitter.com/RLHhXqJ6Rd
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) March 6, 2025
It's well-known at this point that there is no love lost between Butler and his former franchise, but Le Batard's comments shed a bit more light on the problem itself and how long, perhaps, it had been going on.
Since the trade, the Heat have gone 4–8, but are 3–2 in their last five games. Butler, meanwhile, has had a great start over in San Fran, where the Warriors have gone 9–2 since acquiring him.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dan Le Batard Claims There is 'Relief' in Miami Following Jimmy Butler Trade.
