The Golden State Warriors face the Miami Heat in Miami on Tuesday (3/25) for the first time since the Jimmy Butler trade. Many NBA fans are looking forward to this game.
However, Butler isn’t.
“Yeah, I was traded from there, yada, yada, yada,” Butler said, via ESPN. “Yeah, it didn’t end the way that people wanted to, yada yada yada. But that’s so far behind me now. I don’t even think about it. I don’t pay attention to nothing except for the trajectory of this squad.”
Butler requested a trade from the Heat. He was suspended three times during his trade request.
One of the top players in the NBA, Butler doesn’t care how Heat fans will react to his return to Miami.
“Not really, don’t make no difference,” Butler said. “I’m a member of the Golden State Warriors. I love that fan base. They showed me a lot of love while I was there. But I’m there to win now. I’m on the opposing team.”
Butler appeared in 316 games with the Heat. He guided the franchise to the NBA Finals twice.
Miami lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 NBA Finals and fell to the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals.
“We were alright,” Butler said. “We didn’t win nothing like we were supposed to. So I don’t know. We made some cool runs. We had some fun. I think that’s all we did.”
Butler agreed to terms on a two-year, $112 million contract extension with the Warriors that runs through the 2026-27 season after the Heat traded him.
Golden State is 16-3 with Butler in the lineup.
A Marquette product, Butler played for the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers and Heat before getting traded to the Warriors. The six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA forward has career averages of 18.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
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