NBA Analyst Kendrick Perkins Takes Back His “Trade Jimmy” Butler Comments

Kendrick Perkins discusses how the Miami Heat will be scary in the postseason on NBA Today

Casey Fahrer | Mar 7, 2024

NBA Analyst Kendrick Perkins Takes Back His “Trade Jimmy” Butler Comments /

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Miami Heat

Former NBA player and current NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins said Wednesday that the Miami Heat are a serious threat in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

On ESPN’s NBA Today, the analysts were talking about which East team outside of a top-three seed has the most likely chance to advance in the playoffs. Perkins started his answer with "Go ahead, give me a slap across the head."

“When the Miami Heat were struggling, I was like, ‘It’s time to trade Jimmy,” Perkins continued with before praising the Heat’s recent play. “‘When the time is right, they always step to the plate, and now they are playing playoff-type basketball.”

Butler has been the Heat’s best offensive player since the All-Star break. He is averaging 25.8 points over the past two weeks. Butler had a season-high 37 points in Saturday’s 126-120 win over the Utah Jazz.

The Heat are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They have won seven of their past eight games. The one loss came on the road by six points to the defending champion Denver Nuggets.

“Right now, this team is playing agenda-free, guys are playing within the team, and when I look at this team I’m like man, not only do I know, but the rest of the Eastern Conference know that we don’t want to see the Miami Heat in the playoffs,” Perkins added.

.@KendrickPerkins really had @Rjeff24 slap him across the head for his Jimmy Butler take 😭 pic.twitter.com/Bp9UXpv2W0
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 6, 2024

The Heat’s recent play has propelled them to the sixth seed in the East with room to still improve. They trail the fourth-seeded Orlando Magic by just one game.

The Heat start a two-game Western Conference road trip tonight against the Dallas Mavericks.