After playoff appearances by both the Miami Dolphins football team and the Miami Heat basketball team, both franchises were looking to take a step forward coming into the 2024-25 season. Despite aspirations coming into the new year Miami sports fan could have never predicted the drama that would soon follow the new year.
On Jan. 2, Jimmy Butler stated in the post-game press conference that he wanted to experience joy while playing on the court, which he was not receiving in Miami. After taking the Heat to three Eastern Conference Finals leading to two NBA Finals appearances, Butler has become the face of the organization since the pandemic. However, dating back to the beginning of the season, Jimmy Butler’s usage rate took another substantial drop off, being left out on many drives where he watches from the corner. As the Heat began taking focus on their young stars such as Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, other players such as Butler were cast aside as unessential pieces.
“I don’t think we should keep Jimmy Butler. He is such an inconsistent player and only does well when it’s beneficial for him. The Miami Heat should just continue focusing on their young players, because at this point Jimmy isn’t a key player on the team anymore. He will be remembered as a captain who led us to two finals, but I would want him to leave [the] team,” junior Jasmin Abu said.
Along with the recent controversy involving Butler, the relationship between Heat owner Pat Riley and star player Butler has grown ever more tense over the years. Ever since a disappointing loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 NBA Finals, Butler has been requesting for trades to acquire star players to elevate the team’s championship contention.
Even with these claims, team owner Pat Riley remained focused on developing and drafting players such as Jaime Jaquez Jr. Butler still seeks his first NBA Finals victory and pursues possibilities of joining present championship contention teams where he can take his talents to elevate any lineup he joins.
With his heart no longer belonging to the Heat, Butler’s actions have been representative of his desires. On Jan. 3, Butler was suspended for seven games due to conduct detrimental towards the team. As of this moment, he waits in ambition for a trade to be made before the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 6.
“Right now, there is no leader in my opinion with Butler wanting to leave which we can see with a lack of identity within the team. Nobody wants an aging player with a massive contract which is expiring. If any team trades for him this year, Butler can just leave at the end of the year and the assets traded were for nothing. That means we won’t be getting any useful assets for Jimmy so I think we should just wait for his contract to expire,” sophomore Hennley Michel said.
On a similar note, after a season ending loss to the Miami Dolphins against their rivals, the New York Jets, wide receiver Tyreek Hill stated that ‘he had to do what was best for his family,’ wherever that may be, days after Butler’s press conference.
Taking immature approaches towards his probable exit from the Dolphins, Tyreek changed his profile picture on the social media platform “X”; this represented how he wanted to leave the team by putting his face on Antonio Brown when he walked out on his team. Hill’s receiving yards took a devastating drop from 1,799 yards, within reach of the all-time record, last season to 959 yards to finish this season.
“Tyreek Hill right now is still a top three wide receiver in the league, if not one of the best. The problem is we paid Hill a lot of money and trading him to another team will be more difficult. I do think we can get good support players like offensive linemen and other assets which would benefit the Dolphins more than Tyreek Hill right now,” sophomore Carlos Londono said.
Tyreek Hill left the Kansas City Chiefs during 2022 in pursue of greater payment which he found with the Miami Dolphins. After acquiring a substantial amount of money in Miami, Hill is now left unsatisfied, seeking Super Bowl contention which he gave up by leaving the Chiefs.
Hill’s desire for both money and another Super Bowl needs to find a balance if he would be traded to another team. For now, the Miami Dolphins await potential trade offers for their star receiver which would improve their 2025 draft picks, still holding on to the possibility of keeping Tyreek Hill.
In addition to having personal ties on the field, both athletes have created abundant connections throughout the community of Miami. For instance, Jimmy Butler created a company called Bigface Coffee back in 2021 which has become a huge success due to many supporting Heat fans. Tyreek Hill has also dug his roots in Miami by opening his store called Soul Runners in 2022 in the Aventura Mall, selling fitness clothing apparel. Both athletes must make the difficult choice of whether leaving a place they have made home is worth seeking a new team for a better opportunity at title contention.
For the Miami Dolphins heading into the offseason, they must decide whether to to keep Tyreek Hill or gain additional assets by saying goodbye. However, as the Miami Heat near possible playoff contention, they are tasked with the decision of utilizing Jimmy Butler more or trading him for a chance at the playoffs. Miami fans eagerly await the decisions both teams reach as it could change the foundation of two beloved teams.