From striking a chord to all love lost- Jimmy Butler’s saga with the Miami Heat was dramatic, to say the least. Heat President Pat Riley and Butler reportedly were very close once. While Riley loved the toughness and work ethic that Butler brought to the table, Butler appreciated Riley’s no-nonsense leadership style and slicked-back Miami swagger. But as goes the popular saying, “Money is the root cause of all evils.” Even with the two NBA Finals appearances (2020 and 2023) and another East Finals appearance (2022) in Butler’s five seasons with Miami, the Heat never gave him the lucrative contract extension he believed he deserved.

The first public signs of rift came in May 2024 when Butler, who was injured and did not play in the 4-1 first-round playoff series loss to Boston, said that the Heat would have beaten the Celtics and any other challengers if he had been healthy. “If you’re not on the court playing … you should keep your mouth shut,” Riley said in response at a news conference. In June, Butler reportedly told the Heat he would not be signing a contract extension. The Heat, Riley said publicly, had to be careful about an extension because Butler had missed 40 regular-season games over the two previous seasons. With the tensions escalating came the series of suspension saga starting from the beginning of the year.

They first suspended Butler for seven games in early January for “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team.” After scoring only nine points in their January 2 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Butler said he had lost his joy playing in Miami. Butler publicly indicated that he would like to be traded, something not allowed under the league’s rules. So the Heat were ready to “listen to offers.” “I want to see me getting my joy back playing basketball. Wherever that may be, we’ll find out here pretty soon. I’m happy here off the court, but I want to be back to somewhat dominant, I want to hoop, and I want to help this team win, and right now I’m not doing it.”

Asked if he can get his joy back on the court with the Heat, Butler responded: “Probably not.” After serving the suspension, he came back which Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee dramatically called a modern-day replica of Michael Jordan’s more-celebrated announcement that he was ending his retirement in 1995: “I’m back.” But that was short-lived. Just 3 games and Butler missed the team’s January 22 flight to Milwaukee, sparking another suspension. When Butler returned to the team for a shootaround on the morning of January 27 before the Heat hosted the Orlando Magic, coach Erik Spoelstra informed to replace Butler in the starting lineup with Haywood Highsmith.

Butler responded to the news by walking out of the morning shootaround. Hence came the third suspension, which was without pay for an indefinite period. With that, He missed 15 of Miami’s last 20 games, including 10 of the last 13 because of the suspensions. After all this, a day before the February 6 NBA trade deadline, Butler was sent to the Golden State Warriors. Moments later, Butler agreed to on a two-year, $112 million contract extension that runs through the 2026-27 season. But looks like the long absence from the court has started reflecting on his performance and Butler acknowledged that he still has work to do.

In an interview with The Athletic, reporter Anthony Slater detailed how Butler struggled with conditioning in his Warriors debut. Within the first five minutes of play, he was so winded that head coach Steve Kerr had to call a timeout. His new teammates found humor in the situation, but it raised concerns given Butler’s reputation for elite fitness.

Addressing the issue, Butler admitted, You gotta think, I haven’t played basketball in a month. My wind is nowhere close to where it needs to be”. He remains optimistic, setting new personal goals: “I can’t wait until I’m back in basketball shape where I’m used to being. I won’t miss free throws as much. I’ll have lift on my jump shots,” said Butler. “Right now, I’m just gassed. I’m glad we’re winning. But I gotta get in better shape.” 

For context, Butler spent some of his suspension hiatus in San Diego, the only time he got on a basketball court in a five-on-five setting in nearly a month, finding a decent run with some locals. But that isn’t exactly equivalent to defending Damian Lillard in the pick-and-roll and muscling through a Brook Lopez contest.However, despite that, the spark is there.

Butler has 28 free-throw attempts in his two games — becoming the first Warriors player to take at least 13 free throws in consecutive games since Kevin Durant in 2018. He’s also logged 60 total minutes in two games, getting immediate clearance from Rick Celebrini (the team’s lead medical decision-maker). “No, it don’t,” Butler said when asked if 15 free-throw attempts felt like a lot. “Three misses is, though. I hate misses.” 

Butler predicted that he’d get his wind back by the Houston game on Thursday and that he’d be in a great place when the Warriors return from the All-Star break the following Friday night in Sacramento. They have two important road games against the Dallas Mavericks and the Rockets this week as they try to claim the sixth seed. They’re currently a half-game behind Dallas for the eighth spot. Interestingly, while Butler writes his way back, he has all the support from the team’s superstar.

Stephen Curry and the Warriors’ trust in Jimmy Butler continues

Despite early concerns about acquiring Butler—especially given his turbulent exit from Miami—Stephen Curry has since rallied behind his new teammate. Reports suggested that Curry was initially hesitant, wary of making a trade that risked the team’s future by offloading young talent for a star player with baggage. However, his impact became evident as Butler stepped into the Warriors’ system.

When asked about Butler’s conditioning struggles, Curry dismissed concerns. “He’s had an up-and-down year in terms of availability. You can work out all you want to, but nothing simulates an NBA game… That just tells you how good he is because he doesn’t feel like himself, and he’s still impacting the game.”

For two games in a row, the Warriors actually took the lead to the fourth quarter with Curry on the sidelines and Butler leading, however much he could. Butler closed the quarter with a 6-0 run as Curry left the floor in the third quarter. Butler even posted two free throws and a post-up. Against the Bucks, he shot 12-for-15 from the free-throw line (80%), though he struggled with field goals, making only 4-of-12 attempts (33.3%).

“That’s part of my job here,” Butler said. “Attack. Attack, attack, attack. Get into the paint, finish when I can and get fouled. I got the easy job. I’m open a lot of the times.

“They look to give me the ball in the position that I’m comfortable in just continually being who I am. They make it a thing to remind me to be me every single possession down the floor on both sides of the ball. So when you got people in your corner like that, they want you to be successful and are continually telling me to be me. It’s easy.”

So, despite his conditioning struggles and even at less than full strength, Butler remains a crucial asset to the Warriors. With Golden State sitting at 26-25, Butler’s full return to peak condition could be the difference-maker in securing a playoff berth. If his early promise is any indication, the Warriors may have found the missing piece they needed to turn their season around.