Miami Heat: Addition of Jimmy Butler sparks optimism for 2019-20

Storyline 1: The arrival of Jimmy Butler

You probably didn’t need Jimmy Butler’s press conference to decipher just how suited he is to being in a Miami Heat uniform.

When asked why he chose the Heat, Butler was his usual upfront self:

"“To tell you the truth, it’s the culture that I hear about all the time, the work that you put in every single day. … I was excited to have an opportunity to come here, to be here. But when I keep hearing about this culture, I was like, I need that in my life.”"

Yes, it may seem odd that a four-time All-Star is now on his third team in 12 months. However, from Butler’s point of view, each case a different story. He was dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves after the Chicago Bulls essentially deemed him not worthy of a maximum contract extension.

Move forward 12 months and it’s Butler who now wants out of his place of work, seemingly fed up with the apparent lack of effort from host of players, in particular Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.

He then winds up being dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he finds himself being third, sometimes fourth, in the overall pecking order. However, despite being their undisputed player to turn to in the clutch during pivotal playoff moments, the Sixers ultimately didn’t value Butler as much as the Heat did.

Just turned 30, Butler has now ultimately found himself with the franchise he most epitomizes. You only need to look back to his last full season with the Timberwolves to ascertain how much he can transform a team. Having not made the playoffs since 2004, Butler had the Wolves in prime position, third on the standings when he went down midseason with a knee injury.

Upon returning, the team managed to just scrape in and hang onto the eighth seed.

Being in a situation now where he feels he truly belongs, and playing under undoubtedly the best coach in his career, the Butler-Heat relationship should be a fascinating follow for all Heat fans.