Inside The Heat

Is former Miami Heat star already questioning Warriors' plan?

Oct 27, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) dribbles past Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in the first quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Oct 27, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) dribbles past Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in the first quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

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There is typically a honeymoon period for Jimmy Butler.

In the first few months, maybe even years, he expresses consistent happiness and a franchise is therefore happy to have him. He hoops at a high level, makes some jokes, all is well.

But then at some point it tends to turn. Sometimes, it's over money -- the Miami Heat experienced that during a tumultuous 2024-25 season in which it handed out suspensions rather than rings. Sometimes, it's over role or the roster, and the Heat felt some of that too over time.

So it was interesting to read this report, not even eight months after the Golden State Warriors acquired Butler from the Heat for Andrew Wiggins and more.

This is not to say Butler is unhappy with his situation; he certainly doesn't seem so on social media. But could this be where it starts? He was known to have some frustration with the Heat's tendency to "run it back" during his tenure, even though they would argue they didn't, making adjustments to the roster though never acquiring another big-time star.

Well, no team has run it back like the Warriors this offseason. They haven't signed anyone, the only team in the NBA at this point that hasn't made a move. They are engaged in a dispute over value with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, and while there has much discussion of them bringing in veteran Al Horford (an old Butler rival), it isn't done yet.

It seems that getting Butler in February was the move, as the West has gotten even more stacked this summer, with Denver getting Nikola Jokic some depth, and Houston (the team the Warriors eliminated in the first round) adding Kevin Durant.

There have also been reports that the Warriors, already deep into the luxury tax, want to keep their books relatively clean in 2027 to go after the likes of Jokic and Giannis Antekoumpo.

That would mean not adding much until then.

It also means Butler may not last beyond 2027, to clear the room for the next star.

So is he unhappy? He's rich, getting the contract from Golden State he wanted from Miami. So probably not. But it bears watching. Certainly some inside the Heat organization still are.

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Ethan J. Skolnick
ETHAN J. SKOLNICK

Ethan has covered all major sports -- in South Florida and beyond -- since 1996 and is one of the longest-tenured fully credentialed members of the Miami Heat. He has covered, in total, more than 30 NBA Finals, Super Bowls, World Series and Stanley Cup Finals. After working full-time for the Miami Herald, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Bleacher Report and several other outlets, he founded the Five Reasons Sports Network in 2019 and began hosting the Five on the Floor podcast as part of that network. The podcast is regularly among the most downloaded one-team focused NBA podcasts in the nation, and the network is the largest independent sports outlet in South Florida, by views, listens and social media reach. He has a B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University and an M.S. from Columbia University. TWITTER: @EthanJSkolnick and @5ReasonsSports EMAIL: fllscribe@gmail.com

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