Five months ago, during the Play-In Tournament against the Philadelphia 76ers, forward Jimmy Butler suffered a knee injury that ruined the Miami Heat’s season.
Butler missed the Boston Celtics first-round series after spraining his MCL late in the game. The Heat were no match for the ultimate titles without Terry Rozier and Butler. In five games, the Celtics prevailed.
Butler elucidated the emotion in the Starting Five documentary on Netflix.
“Right after the game, we went and got the MRI and it said a severe MCL sprain,” Butler explained. “It’s unbelievable that you went back outside and resumed playing and running on this,” he said. Indeed, I believed that I could make a difference. I believed I was invincible. We are not immortals.
Jimmy Butler on the injury vs 76ers caused by Kelly Oubre
“F*cking Kelly Oubre, jumping in the air doing wrestling moves on people, which is crazy”
“I was so confident in my ability I was like yeah, we got this one in the bag. Injuries happen man”
Revenge season for 22 ⏳ pic.twitter.com/XiUZb7GRpS
— Emo Jimmy (@HeatCulture13) October 9, 2024
Butler pointed the finger at Sixers forward Kelly Oubre. During Oubre’s attempt to block Butler’s close-range jumper, an injury occurred. Butler felt that Oubre jumped recklessly, causing Butler to fall awkwardly. After the incident, the Heat’s momentum shifted.
“[Expletive] Kelly Oubre jumping around like he’s doing wrestling moves on people, which is wild,” Butler said. “I thought, ‘Yeah, we’ve got this game in hand.’ But then, man, injuries happen. Oh no, accidents happen.”
The good news is Butler has fully recovered, and Rozier, who was sidelined with a neck injury, is back as well. Despite not making major offseason moves, the Heat believe having a healthy core of Rozier, Butler, Jaime Jaquez, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo will make a significant impact.
27-year-old Miami Heat Top Target Seeking $200 Million Extension.
The Miami Heat must act quickly if they hope to win a championship during Jimmy Butler’s tenure, since the window for victory is closing every day. Naturally, there’s a good chance they’ve already given up on such dreams and are utilizing the Bam Adebayo timeframe. However, Brandon Ingram would be a worthwhile alternative to take into account if they haven’t.
While the Heat undoubtedly possess one of the league’s greatest defensive teams, they fall short in other areas as well. That’s where having a scorer like Ingram may help them.
For the last five seasons, Ingram has averaged more than 20 points each game. He has also exceeded 5APG and 5RPG on average over the last three campaigns. Additionally, he has recently received high praise for his performances during Pelicans practice. Grant Hughes proposed Ingram as a trade target for the Heat in the Bleacher Report piece Imagining Every NBA Team’s Top 3 Trade Targets This Season.
Although Ingram’s game has flaws of its own, the Heat are the only NBA team that can truly bring out the best in him. “Ingram would be a great test of the Miami Heat’s rejuvenation machine,” Hughes wrote. There’s just too much evidence to suggest that Ingram isn’t the most dedicated worker or the finest teammate. It also bewilders him that he won’t consistently defend and up his three-point shooting output.
The Heat have a history of making the most out of troubled assets, so Ingram might be a good acquisition at a discount. Naturally, this is the point at which we have to bring up his expectations for a $200 million deal. However, Ingram will likely be worth that amount if the Heat can bring forth his best game.” The Pelicans may not be eager to grant Ingram the $200 million contract extension he is reportedly requesting. Therefore, a trade is extremely likely to occur soon.
Ingram may still have years to go before his finest on the court at 27. It may be a bit of a risk to bring him in, but it is definitely worth it.
