Heat's Jimmy Butler Has no Hard Feelings for Philadelphia 76ers

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler recently mentioned he has no hard feelings towards the Philadelphia 76ers after last season.

When Kawhi Leonard's shot bounced in at the buzzer-beater during a critical Game 7 last season, former Philadelphia 76ers star Jimmy Butler wondered where he would be in 2020. After getting traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Sixers early on in the year during the 2018-2019 run, Butler believed he could have a permanent home in Philly at first.

But as the season went on, Butler questioned the idea of remaining with the Sixers long-term. For starters, Butler admittedly wasn't the biggest fan of former 76ers head coach Brett Brown. And once the veteran star heard a rumor the Sixers' organization wanted to make sure they could "control" him behind the scenes if stayed on board, Butler's mind regarding his future was made up.

Before free agency opened up officially, Butler's desire to land with the Miami Heat was well-documented. After meeting with the organization down in South Beach, the Sixers worked out a sign and trade with the Heat, sending Butler down South in exchange for the veteran shooting guard, Josh Richardson.

At first, Butler's departure left a sour taste in the mouths of Philly fans as they believed he never wanted to remain with the Sixers in the first place. The result of that created a handful of theories, which focused in on Butler's rumored cancerous personality in the locker room. At this point, Butler cleared the air, though. As his time with the Sixers is well in the past, and his Miami Heat are headed to the NBA Finals, Butler recently made it clear he has no hard feelings towards his former organization. 

"I just get to be me here," Butler stated as he was asked to compare his time with the Heat to his time with the 76ers. "I get to call it how I see it, and nobody takes it personally. I don't have to worry about anybody trying to control me. I have no hard feelings towards any of those players or anybody in that organization. I'm glad to be where I am. As you can tell, it's worked out -- and that's where I leave it."

After getting a year's worth of evidence, it's become clear that Butler wasn't the issue with the 76ers in Philadelphia. As Philly fell short in this year's playoff run after failing to pick up a single win in the first round against the Boston Celtics, Butler and the Heat are four victories away from winning the NBA Finals. Despite the frustrating past with the Sixers, Butler has no reason to look back at this point as he's thriving in Miami, where he feels like he truly belongs at this point in his career.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_