Before the season began, Jimmy Butler was asked about podcasts. Specifically, he was asked about podcast hosts who, at the height of NBA free agency last summer, couldn’t understand his decision to leave two All-Stars on the 76ers and engineer a sign-and-trade to a Heat team that won 39 games a year ago.
Wasn't this the same guy who forced his way out of Minnesota because he wanted to play for a title contender? Isn’t that exactly what he was leaving in Philadelphia? Half the league’s superstars spent the summer forming strategic alliances to chase championships, but perhaps Butler cared more about being the man in Miami than playing a supporting role for a contender in Philly.