ESPN Reporter Does Best Jimmy Butler Impression After Hectic Trade Deadline

Jake Elman | Feb 7, 2025

Jan 19, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) walks off the court after greeting court-side friends following the victory over the San Antonio Spurs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania spent weeks reporting on the Jimmy Butler trade saga.

With the trade deadline officially in the rearview mirror, Charania can finally rest—and he’s taking cues from Butler in the process.

The official NBA on ESPN X (formerly Twitter) account posted a picture of an exhausted Charania in the studio. Charania mimicked a famous image depicting Butler during the 2020 NBA Finals.

“Wildest deadline in NBA history?” ESPN asked.

.@ShamsCharania after the trade deadline 😭

Wildest deadline in NBA history? pic.twitter.com/nvUlttZMSO

— ESPN (@espn) February 6, 2025

Charania stayed busy this deadline. Butler joined Anthony Davis, Luka Dončić, Kyle Kuzma, De’Aaron Fox, Zach LaVine, Andrew Wiggins, and Brandon Ingram among the notable names who moved teams in the last week.

Miami added Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, and several draft picks. Although the Heat acquired other players, including forward PJ Tucker, the team subsequently traded them elsewhere. 

ROBINSON PRAISES BUTLER

Miami Heat forward Duncan Robinson spent six seasons playing alongside All-Star Jimmy Butler.

Robinson didn’t need long to realize what made Butler special.

“He’s the only player I’ve seen—or at least the one who does it the most—where his competitive spirit and will are what separate him,” Duncan told the Young Man and the Three podcast. 

“You look at his game, and yeah, he has skill,” Robinson continued. “Obviously, he’s got good footwork, he’s athletic, but there’s nothing extraordinary about anything he does other than his competitive spirit and will.”

LOVE HINTS AT NEXT MOVE

Heat big man Kevin Love appears ready to call it quits.

No, the five-time All-Star forward isn’t retiring yet. At least, not to our knowledge.

Instead, Love signaled he’s walking away from his recent social media antics. The sparsely-used veteran spent recent weeks posting memes and movie clips on Instagram, frequently mocking teammates and the lingering Jimmy Butler trade saga.

However, Butler is headed to Golden State. Rather than publicly declare his new target, Love implied he’s done playing stand-up comedian.

“Generational Run,” Love wrote on Instagram, attaching a video of Michael Jordan’s 1993 retirement press conference. 

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Jake Elman works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat on SI. He can be reached at jakeelman97@gmail.com or follow him on X @JakeElman97.