After the Portland Trail Blazers surprisingly traded star Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks instead of the Miami Heat last week, Heat forward Jimmy Butler debuted a new haircut. His “emo” look — not to be mistaken for a “Karen” haircut — appeared at Heat media day since Butler was feeling “emotional” when Lillard went to the Bucks.
The haircut caught the attention of the NBA world, including Stephen A. Smith.
Smith responded to Butler's new look, saying, “Oh my god… I respect the fact that he's a bit perturbed to say the least. Miami, you ain't going back to the Finals with the crew that you got, with Milwaukee and Boston,” via ESPN First Take.
Butler's new look is of course a reaction to his team losing out on acquiring Lillard. The Heat were the number one team expected to trade for Lillard all summer, but instead the Bucks got him. The fact that the Bucks brought in Lillard is especially hard for Butler since it makes one of the best competitors for the Heat even better. Even worse for Butler, the Lillard trade led to Jrue Holiday going to another rival, the Boston Celtics.
The Bucks were already one of the strongest teams in the NBA, but with a team comprised of Giannis and Lillard, they'll be darn near unstoppable. Aside from the Bucks, the Celtics now have a trio in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holliday. Jimmy Butler and the Heat were able to upset both the Bucks and Celtics in the playoffs last season to advance to the NBA Finals, but it's hard to see them repeating this performance with the Bucks and Celtics' newfound star power.