Jimmy Butler joins the Heat, whose jersey he had previously declared he'd never wear
Time and money can change a lot of things.
Star free agent Jimmy Butler has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Miami Heat through a sign-and-trade that will send Josh Richardson to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The move is apparently quite the flip-flop from a past statement from Butler.
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As has been previously noted and now again dredged up by Reddit, Butler had previously said in an interview during his second NBA season that the only thing he’d never wear is ... a Miami Heat jersey.
In 2013, Jimmy Butler said there's one thing he'd never wear ... a Miami Heat jersey 😅
(h/t u/Carlos_Boozer/Reddit) pic.twitter.com/uuOpob4I62— ESPN (@espn) July 1, 2019
The reason why Butler said that is probably pretty simple. Butler was on the Bulls, who went 50-16 the previous year and ended up finishing their season with a loss to the Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Of course, the Heat are now a very different team. Long gone is LeBron James. Dwyane Wade is recently gone, and the Heat great actually took part in the team’s recruitment of Butler.
Nah bro. Let’s kill that rumor now. It would only be for the HEAT! @JimmyButler what’s good 😂😂😂 https://t.co/Va497k4uPt
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) June 29, 2019
It’s also worth noting that the former Instagram feuders also exchanged jerseys during Wade’s final home game. Now, Butler gets a Heat jersey of his own.
Butler is clearly in a different place in his career, and he’s decided Miami is where he can spend the next few years of his career. He might not have envisioned it six years ago, but how many 23-year-olds can see that far into the future?
At the very least, the Heat have been consistent in their desire to trade Richardson for Butler.
Philadelphia will receive Josh Richardson from the Heat ... who is the same player Miami tried to trade -- twice -- to Minnesota in October when Butler, as @NYTSports first reported, made Miami his No. 1 preferred destination
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 1, 2019
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