Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler participated in a funny social media exchange after the latest NBA trade done by the Miami Heat.
Jimmy Butler played as a Miami Heat player for six years and led them to two NBA Finals during his time there.
However, his departure from the team was unceremonious. Both Butler and President of Basketball Operations Pat Riley revealed their feelings about the exit.
Since then, Butler has moved on to become a key part of the Golden State Warriors, where he is teammates with four-time NBA champion Draymond Green.
Meanwhile, the Heat have struggled to cope after Butler went just ahead of the trade deadline. They lost their way and got swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs.
They have not done much in the offseason aside from adding Norman Powell to their roster.
Kevin Love departed the team as part of the Powell trade and over a month later now, they have also traded Haywood Highsmith.
Photo by Elsa/Getty ImagesGreen and Butler exchange words after Heat trade
The Heat decided to trade Highsmith and a 2032 second-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for a protected 2026 second-round pick.
After the news broke, Green put out an Instagram story tagging Butler and said: “Look what you’ve done Jimbo.”
While it is not certain, the context behind this message goes back to Butler’s stint with the Heat, when he was trying to force his way out.
The franchise suspended Butler after he walked out of a practice because the coaching staff informed that the six-time All-Star would not be starting the game against the Orlando Magic in January.
Shams Charania had reported that Highsmith was the player that replaced him.
Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images
Whether Green’s message was a subtle dig at that or not is something that is still unclear, but Butler decided to come up with a response.
He posted: “Don’t put that evil on me Ricky Bobby! I had nothing to do with it! Let me live my offseason with my blond weave in.”
Butler’s Heat career was brilliant despite the controversial exit
The Heat were Butler’s fourth team in four years and he needed his time there to be successful as question marks started to be raised around his attitude.
He was putting up brilliant numbers, but Butler’s character always seemed to cause rifts between him and the management.
The Heat culture was best suited for him, and he embraced it wholeheartedly.
His performance in a Heat jersey was always stellar and despite not having won a championship, his two NBA Finals runs will always be remembered.
There will, however, always be a “what if” with Butler’s exit, as he probably would have stayed if Riley brought another star to the franchise.
[Regular season] Season Points Rebounds2024-2517.05.22023-2420.85.32022-2322.95.92021-2221.45.92020-2121.56.92019-2019.96.7[Playoffs] SeasonPoints Rebounds2022-2326.96.52021-2227.47.42020-2114.57.52019-2022.26.5
Butler had been doing the heavy lifting without a lot of help as Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo sometimes were quiet in the playoffs.
He is now part of a roster where he has the help needed to compete, and in his half season alone, Butler showed the NBA what he can do with the Warriors.
The Heat, on the other hand, will be hoping Powell elevates and puts up the numbers that can drive them into the playoffs as their trade of Highsmith was not a high-stakes move, but only something that would prevent them from paying luxury tax.