Miss Jimmy Butler, Heat Hero admits "need" Butler to win

Taylor Herro and the Miami Heat may need Jimmy Butler more than ever before in the context of trailing the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Miami Heat's turbulent 2024-25 season is about to end, so it is not difficult to understand why all Heat fans or players will feel sorry for Jimmy Butler's departure, and Taylor Herro is no exception.

Before Game 3, the Miami Heat were completely suppressed by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Herro admitted that he knew deep down that the Heat really needed Butler, and the team traded him out before the trade deadline.

"Obviously, I know I need Jimmy to win. If there were Jimmy now, I thought it would be a completely different situation," Sheero told The Athletic's Jared Weiss.

"We may not even be ranked eighth. So, we need to find a middle balance, on the one hand, to 'Damn, we need him', and on the other hand, to understand, 'Damn, this is his career, what he wants, and ultimately his right.' It's really hard to get stuck between the two sides."

The Heat's performance this season is frustrating, which is understandable. After losing to the Boston Celtics in the first round last season, Butler said that if he were healthy at the time, Miami would be able to eliminate the final NBA championship. The remarks sparked a nine-month dispute between Butler and the Heat management. Shortly after Butler made this remark, Heat president Pat Riley said that if Butler doesn't play, he should "shut up". He also stressed the importance of staying free agent form before the 2024-25 season, and this statement seems to be mainly (although not all) against Butler.

In addition to public repeated confrontations, Butler also longs for a generous long-term contract extension, but the Heat reportedly reluctant to give. The failure of negotiations only adds fuel to the fire, and eventually Butler publicly stated that he doesn't think he can find "fun" in the Heat's playing anymore. Butler was banned for "destructive behavior of the team". Shortly after returning, he was banned again for missing the team's flight. He was suspended for the third and last time because he left the training ground halfway. The ban lasted about a week before he was traded to the Golden State Warriors.

Currently, Butler-led Warriors lead 2-1 in the series against the second-seeded Houston Rockets (although Butler was out of the game due to injury), while the Heat are on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs by the Cavaliers.

Miami Heat trailed 0-3 in the series and will host Game 4 tonight. The game will start at 7:30 pm ET.