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The Los Angeles Lakers discussed signing Jimmy Butler as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2019 after the team acquired Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans, per Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register.
The Lakers, though, never even got a meeting with Butler, who quickly signed with the Miami Heat via a sign-and-trade deal involving the Philadelphia 76ers.
Los Angeles was trying to get Kawhi Leonard and played the waiting game with the two-time Finals MVP, only to see him sign with the Los Angeles Clippers and recruit Paul George to request a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The foundational piece of “Heat Culture” could have been a part of Lakers culture. Jimmy Butler was discussed as an option when the Lakers considered how to use their max salary slot they cleared after the trade for Anthony Davis.
The Lakers will face Butler and the Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals. It should be a hard-fought series since both teams are well-coached and defensive-minded.
Davis and LeBron James are the two best players in the Finals, so many pundits believe the Lakers will wind up winning the title at Walt Disney World. However, what the 2019-20 season has shown is that fans can't count out the Heat. They have been shutting up their critics left and right all year, led by Butler, Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic.
Both the Lakers and Heat are 12-3 in the 2020 playoffs. For the Heat to pull off a major upset, Butler and Adebayo will need to play at a superstar level and match the likely production Los Angeles will get from James and Davis.
