Listen. I don’t think anyone believed Pat Riley when he came out and said the Heat are not trading Jimmy Butler, I for sure didn’t believe it. If you did happen to believe him I could understand why. Why would you trade a player who absolutely dominates during the playoffs?

Every true NBA fan knows Jimmy Butler does not care AT ALL about the regular season. We can also say that any team Jimmy Butler suits up for is a championship contender. Has he gotten to the promised land yet? No. Has he shown the ability to carry a team and crush opponents in the playoffs? Yes. We all know him as Jimmy Buckets when it’s playoff time. Let’s not forget, Tyler Herro didn’t play against Denver in the 22-23 NBA Finals. What help has Jimmy had outside of Bam and Caleb Martin? To me I don’t believe the championship window in Miami is closed, but Jimmy Butler is slamming it shut.

It’s clear as day Jimmy doesn’t want to be in Miami anymore. Possibly he wanted an extension and we know Pat Riley isn’t gonna do that. Look at the way Riley treated D-Wade towards the end of his career, but you know the saying “it’s not personal, it’s business”. If you ask me, it’s always personal. Maybe Jimmy was expecting the front office to make some moves especially after the Rozier trade has not improved their roster at all. Let me also be clear, Pat Riley is one of the best GMs ever. I’m sure the reasoning on why Jimmy wants out will come out in the future as it always does, but where does he end up?

One team I always talk about when it comes to trading for a superstar is OKC. How can you not bring them up with all the picks they’ve collected. It’s the perfect situation for a player who wants to win now. The Thunder tried to use Gordon Hayward as a rental, but that didn’t work out. If we look at Jimmy Butler in that same light, It is a perfect position for him and OKC. Not only does he fit their team DNA, Jimmy will bring playoff experience to a young OKC team that needs it. The beauty of this deal is if it doesn’t work out Jimmy comes off their books at the end of next season. They will have 2 cracks at winning a championship. I would love to see Jimmy Butler win a ring. If he lands on the Thunder roster they are my favorites to win it all.