Jimmy Butler on joining Heat: 'I'm where I belong'

Heat star Jimmy Butler led his team to a 4-2 victory over the Sixers in the second round, finishing with 32 points in the final game of the series on Thursday. Butler, who played for the Sixers in 2018-19, acknowledged that leaving Philadelphia to join Miami wound up working out for his career.

“Some things happened, and now I’m where I belong, I guess where I should have been a long time ago,” Butler said, as relayed by Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “A place where I’m welcome.”

The Sixers spent their money on Tobias Harris after the 2018-19 campaign, inking him to a five-year, $180M deal. At the time, Harris formed a Big Three alongside Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, but the team didn’t have enough cap space to keep Butler. Miami wound up trading for him in a four-team deal.

“I’ve got a lot of love for this city (Philadelphia), love for guys like (Embiid), so any time we can beat a tough team, it’s special,” Butler admitted.

There are more notes from the Southeast Division:

• In his latest “Ask Ira” mailbag for the Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman examines if P.J. Tucker has surpassed Jae Crowder in Crowder’s former role. The Heat signed Tucker last summer to fill the void left by Crowder, who left in 2020 to join the Suns. Miami attempted to replace Crowder with Trevor Ariza and Kelly Olynyk last season, which ultimately didn’t pan out. Tucker has provided versatile defense and shooting this year.
• Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel explores which Magic players will likely be with the team next season. The Magic have a young core consisting of Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr., but the team will also have Jonathan Isaac returning from a two-season absence. In addition, former No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz and former No. 6 pick Mohamed Bamba could also have roles with the club.
• Josh Robbins of The Athletic predicts five different lottery options in the draft for the Wizards. The NBA’s draft lottery will be held on Tuesday. Washington has a 13.9% chance at securing a top-four pick, but as Robbins notes, the team will likely have the No. 10 or No. 11 selection. The Wizards are coming off a disappointing season, finishing with the fourth-worst record in the East at 35-47.