Jimmy Butler did a fantastic job carrying the Miami Heat in the final two games of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics. Thanks to Butler's heroics, the Heat nearly upset the odds to win Games 6 and 7 of what turned out to be an epic series. With a little bit more luck, it would have been Miami who was facing the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals right now.

It is also true, however, that Butler was anything but consistent throughout the Celtics series. As a matter of fact, he was nowhere to be found in Games 3, 4, and 5. At that point in time, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins was adamant that Miami was going to be better off trading Jimmy Butler in the summer (h/t Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald):

After the Heat fell behind 3-2 against Boston, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins shockingly said the Heat should consider trading Jimmy Butler and rebuild, asserting Miami will never win a title with this core.

To be fair, Butler did disappear in Games 3, 4, and 5, scoring a combined 27 points in those three games on 10-of-40 shooting. Much like Big Perk, a lot of people were already counting out the Heat at that point in the series.

Butler responded in the best way possible by dominating in Games 6 and 7. He carried the Heat to an unlikely win in Game 6 on Boston's own home court. He then almost led Miami to a series-clinching victory in Game 7 as well, but he ended up missing a go-ahead triple in the dying moments of the game.

Right now, the Heat are back to the drawing board after another ultimately disappointing season. Is Perkins right? Should the Heat actually consider trading away Jimmy Butler?