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Former NBA Star Paul Pierce Predicts Jimmy Butler's Time in Miami is Ticking

Matt Levine

Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The Miami Heat have been among the better teams in the Eastern Conference for a few years now. Since the 2020 NBA season, the Heat have reached two NBA Finals and three Conference Finals.

They have been led by star forward Jimmy Butler, a match that has been well-connected since Butler decided to join Miami. The two sides have worked out very well together, even if they haven't been able to capture that elusive NBA title yet.

While things have gone well for the two sides, Butler is getting up there in age. Miami may not want to allocate heavy resources for him as he just turned 35 years old.

Over the offseason, there was some belief that Butler could be moved after another frustrating season. Due to a combination of reasons, one former NBA star believes that Butler may not last with the Heat through the remainder of the year.

Former Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce claims that he has heard Butler may see his time with the Heat come to an end soon.

"I know when the streets be talking and word on the streets is that things ain't too sunny down there in Miami... I'm not sure that Jimmy is going to be there at the end of the year."

In addition to Butler's aging, there were also some media issues between Butler and Heat president Pat Riley over the summer.

Butler was hurt for the Heat's playoff series against the Celtics, seeing Miami lose in five games. After it was over, Butler said that if he had been on the court, it would have been a different story.

Riley didn't take kindly to this and fired back at his star player.

"For him to say that, I thought 'Is that Jimmy trolling or is that Jimmy serious?'" said Riley. "If you're not on the court playing against Boston or on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut and your criticism of those teams."

This incident led many to believe that Butler could be shown the door. Riley has been known for being a tough executive who doesn't put up with any nonsense.

But Butler remained and the Heat entered the season with him on the roster. Miami holds a record of 10-10 on the season, with Butler leading the way.

If the Heat continue to coast around the .500 mark, Miami could be forced into making a tough decision on their star forward.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

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