Inside The Heat

Jimmy Butler Addition Has Golden State Already Talking 2023 Miami Heat

Shandel Richardson|
Apr 13, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) controls the ball against the LA Clippers during the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
Apr 13, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) controls the ball against the LA Clippers during the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat

The Miami Heat had one of the greatest runs in NBA playoffs history in 2023.

The Heat became just the second No. 8 seed to make the Finals behind All-Star Jimmy Butler. Now with the Golden State Warriors, Butler is hoping to lead a similar run.

The Warriors are the No. 7 seed entering Tuesday's game against Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies in the Play-In Tournament. Golden State has already discussed what the Heat did two postseasons ago.

“We joked about that I think last week that he [Butler] went into the play-in packing for two months,” Warriors guard Steph Curry said. “We’d love to have that opportunity.”

That year, Butler put the Heat on his back to make the remarkable run. They are just one of two No. 8 seeds to make the Finals, joining the 1999 New York Knicks. Both teams lost, with the Heat falling to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets and the Knicks losing to the Tim Duncan-led San Antonio Spurs.

Still, the Warriors feel Butler's presence can help. Many felt their championship window closed after winning the 2002 title against the Boston Celtics. But here they are once again with an opportunity to make some noise in the postseason.

The Warriors have won four titles since 2015 with various rosters.

“I’ve been excited since the trade deadline because of that,” Curry said of the Butler acquisition.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here