Jimmy Butler’s No. 22 hanging from the rafters at Kaseya Center someday?
Fat chance!
At least while Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, and the Arison family are still calling the shots in South Beach.
Don’t get me wrong. Jimmy Buckets gave Miami Heat fans some of the most memorable playoff moments since the Big Three era. He dragged the Heat to two NBA Finals and three Eastern Conference finals and authored postseason performances that will live forever in Heat lore.
There was the franchise-record 56-point explosion against Milwaukee in 2023, the 47-point elimination-game masterpiece against Boston in 2022, and that unforgettable 40-point triple-double against LeBron James and the Lakers in the 2020 NBA Finals.
Playoff Jimmy was real.
Retired-number Jimmy?
Me thinks that’s another story.
The problem isn’t what Butler accomplished in Miami. It’s how everything ended.
The contract extension never came, Miami increasingly treated Bam Adebayo as its franchise cornerstone, and Butler eventually announced that he had lost his “joy” playing basketball in Miami.
Then came the suspensions, public sniping, and finally the trade.
That wasn’t exactly Dwyane Wade riding into the sunset.
And if you want an indication of how Miami currently views Butler’s place in Heat history, just look at his old No. 22.
Andrew Wiggins got it almost immediately.
They didn’t even wait for Butler’s jersey to dry!
That hurts even more when you remember another former Heat favorite.
Goran Dragić gave Miami everything he had, helped lead the Heat to the 2020 Finals, and practically sacrificed his body trying to return from a torn plantar fascia in that championship series.
The Dragon was beloved in Miami.
His No. 7?
It now belongs to Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Ouch.
Then again, when you acquire the Greek Freak, apparently sentimentality gets boxed up alongside the old jerseys.
Welcome to The Association.
Butler supporters have a legitimate argument. Shaquille O’Neal didn’t exactly leave Miami singing “Kumbaya” with Riley either. LeBron James stunned the organization by returning to Cleveland. Even Wade had a contract dispute and left for Chicago.
The difference?
Championships.
Shaq delivered one.
LeBron delivered two.
Wade delivered three and remains the greatest player in franchise history.
Butler delivered unforgettable moments, but no Larry O’Brien Trophy.
That matters.
Maybe things change 10 or 15 years from now. Time has a funny way of healing wounds in The Association.
Perhaps Riley is no longer running the show. Maybe Spoelstra has moved upstairs. Maybe the Arisons sell the franchise.
Then everyone gathers at Kaseya Center, Jimmy returns wearing one of those ridiculous cowboy hats, and Miami raises No. 22 to the rafters.
Hopefully, the ceremony includes free coffee.
Although knowing Jimmy, I wouldn’t count on it.
Remember BIGFACE Coffee?
Butler started his coffee hustle in the NBA bubble charging his fellow millionaire players $20 a cup. What began as a bubble side hustle became a legitimate premium coffee business.
And premium is certainly the word.
One hundred bucks for a tasting flight?
For that price, the coffee better wake me up, mow my lawn, wash my car, and tell me who the Heat are drafting next year.
Me thinks I’ll stick with McDonald’s.
Then again, that’s Jimmy Butler.
He wants his bag.
Whether it comes from Riley or somebody ordering an overpriced latte apparently makes little difference.
Which is why I’m not even sure Butler cares whether Miami eventually retires No. 22. Individual accolades never seemed to drive him as much as winning and getting paid.
And if this current Heat iteration—with Giannis, Bam, Wiggins, Klay Thompson, Davion Mitchell, and the rest of the gang—somehow wins a championship in the next couple of years?
Oh boy.
Butler’s Miami tenure will become what it probably deserves to be remembered as: a thrilling, chaotic, occasionally magnificent era that came painfully close.
No championship.
No reconciliation—at least not yet.
And no No. 22 hanging from the rafters.
Maybe someday.
But with this Heat regime?
Fat chance!
So Jimmy, wake up and smell the coffee.
Just don’t charge us $20 for it.
