In a recent interview with Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Tyler Herro reflected on what could have been a very different season for the Miami Heat if Jimmy Butler had stayed with the team.
Butler, who appeared in only 25 games for Miami this season before being traded to Golden State in February, left a significant void on both ends of the floor, particularly in helping to ease the offensive burden on Herro.
Speaking candidly, Herro admitted how much Butler’s departure impacted the Heat’s struggles.
“Obviously, I know I need Jimmy to win,” Herro said. “If we had Jimmy right now, I feel like it’d be a completely different situation. We probably wouldn’t even be the eighth seed.”
Herro acknowledged the personal difficulty of balancing his desire to compete at the highest level with understanding Butler’s decision to pursue a new opportunity elsewhere.
“So finding that middle balance of like, damn, we need him, but also understanding, sh–, that’s his career and what he wants is ultimately his right to want what he wants. It was just tough to be in the middle of both sides,” Herro explained.
While Herro expressed no resentment toward Butler’s choice, it’s clear he believes Miami’s playoff path would have been much smoother had Butler remained in a Heat uniform.
Heat Notes: Game 3 Loss, Starting Lineup, Ware, Herro https://t.co/BgSzV6DwyX pic.twitter.com/n2K13rRA7s
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) April 27, 2025
