Jimmy Butler cryptically posts Drake song as potential Heat departure looms
Jimmy Butler has requested a trade from Miami, and he’s certainly not going quietly. After publicly voicing his unhappiness and desire for a change of scenery, Butler posted a cryptic Instagram story on Saturday, choosing a particular song that seemed to echo his feelings.
Butler, currently serving a seven-game suspension for his comments about being dissatisfied with the Heat and “conduct detrimental to the team,” shared an Instagram story featuring Drake’s "Emotionless."
The song’s lyrics speak to breakups and separations, including:
“I know the truth is you won't love me until I'm gone / And even then the thing that comes after is movin' on.”
It also delves into themes of betrayal and disappointment about one’s heroes:
“Meetin' all my heroes like seein' how magic works / The people I look up to are goin' from bad to worse / Their actions out of character even when they rehearse.”
The song also talks about players changing teams.
"Can't even keep track of who plays for the other team / Iconic duos rip and split at the seams."
Butler then posted Bryson Tiller’s “Don’t,” which includes the line, “Somebody gotta step up / Girl I'm that somebody, so I'm next up,” and followed it with 50 Cent and Nate Dogg’s “21 Questions,” which asks, “Would you love me if I was down and out?”
On Thursday, Jimmy Butler expressed his discontent with the Heat, stating he had lost his joy and wished to find happiness elsewhere. He mentioned that he could go to any team and find happiness.
"I want to see me getting my joy back playing basketball. Wherever that may be, we'll find out here pretty soon," Butler said. "I'm happy here off the court, but I want to be back to somewhat dominant, I want to hoop and I want to help this team win, and right now I'm not doing it."
Erik Spoelstra, Bam Adebayo talk about Jimmy Butler situation
Ahead of Miami’s first game since Jimmy Butler's comments and trade request, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra emphasized that the team’s focus would remain on their performance rather than the surrounding drama.
"We're just going to focus on tonight, wanna quiet all the distractions, enough has been said," Spoelstra said (per Heat beat reporter Zachary Weinberger). “We have clarity and we are gonna focus on this group in the locker room. That's what I want them to focus on and quiet the noise as much as possible."
READ: "I'm not a clickbait type of coach" - Heat coach Erik Spoelstra dodges Jimmy Butler questions amid growing team chaos
Bam Adebayo, asked how he felt about Butler potentially leaving the Heat, said he prefers not to dwell on the situation.
“I mean, s**t, you live with what happens," Adebayo said. "Like I said we’re worried about what we can control and we can’t control that. That’s up to management and (Butler). That is their decision … For us, we still got to go out and play games. So we're going to worry about that.”
READ: “S**t, you live with what happens" - Bam Adebayo candidly reflects on Jimmy Butler's potential Heat exit
The Heat have confirmed that they are listening to offers for the forward who led them to the Finals in 2020 and 2023.