When Jimmy Butler decided that he wanted to be a part of the Miami Heat, it was a shock to many in the NBA world. Not only did the Heat not really have the means to acquire the star, there were plenty of other teams looking to sign the superstar. Of course, Butler did end up being dealt to the Heat in a sign-and-trade, and the Heat were able to sway Butler thanks to their commitment to excellence.
According to a report from Anthony Chiang at the Miami Herald, Butler was swayed to join the Heat thanks to their dedication to being “the hardest-working, best-conditioned, most professional, unselfish, toughest, nastiest, most disliked team in the NBA,” and how that apparently aligned with Butler’s personality when it comes to basketball.
A league source reportedly told Chiang that Butler left his meeting with the Heat on June 30 convinced that the team was the right fit for him, especially when it comes to its track record of putting winning ahead of everything else. After the meeting, Butler allegedly canceled other free agent meetings that he had, and the Sixers and Heat began to work on a sign-and-trade to allow the deal to occur.
Butler reportedly met with Heat President Pat Riley, who made a strong impression on the superstar during the four-hour meeting. Others in the meeting included owner Mickey Arison, CEO Nick Arison, general manager Andy Elisburg, coach Erik Spoelstra, team executive Alonzo Mourning, and vice president of basketball development and analytics Shane Battier.
Needless to say, the amount of experience and culture the Heat provided were more than enough for Butler, and now he’ll look to help Miami reclaim their spot atop the Eastern Conference.
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