A: First, Jimmy Butler has input but hardly final say on any Heat trade, including what apparently will be a swap of Goran Dragic for Kyle Lowry (although things do tend to change in free agency at a moment’s notice). And, yes, Jimmy has been particularly fond of Goran, and I would expect that to continue. But this also is about winning and a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately mindset. When Jimmy pushed Goran to return last offseason, it was in the wake of the Heat closing within two victories of the 2020 NBA title, and of Goran helping push Jimmy for the first time into the NBA Finals. This time around the Heat are coming off the humiliation of being swept out of the first round by the Bucks. It is similar to Jimmy’s playfulness with Tyler Herro during the 2019-20 season and how that grew more muted amid the Heat’s uneven 2020-21 season. Jimmy is a man of many things, but patience is not particularly high on that list.
