The Boston Celtics won a championship last year, and as they continue to push through this year, they’re looking to go back-to-back. However, the rest of the Eastern Conference is determined to prevent them from doing so. And historically speaking, the Miami Heat have been one of the teams standing in their way. But this year may be different.
Jimmy Butler has been a thorn in Boston’s side for years, but he may not be in Miami much longer. Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Butler won’t be on the Heat past the trade deadline. However, Heat GM Pat Riley recently came out with a statement that said the Heat are not going to trade Butler.
And now, drama seems likely to follow.
A Jimmy Butler-less era of Celtics basketball is almost here
Though Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has claimed that Charania’s reports are false, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. And since Butler has a player option for next year, he could simply leave the Heat in free agency if they don’t trade him.
And if Charania's report is true, and Butler truly does want to leave Miami, they could have a real disaster on their hands. Riley clearly doesn't want to trade him, and if Butler isn't happy there, things could get ugly. Just look at the Minnesota Timberwolves for reference as to what happened the last time Butler wanted out of a situation.
It’s looking more and more like the Butler era in Miami is rapidly coming to a close, and with it, it seems a new era of Celtics basketball in the East is here.
For the past five years or so, the Celtics have had a very specific slate of competition in the East (at least when it came to playing at the highest level).
Their top competitors have been the Heat, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Philadelphia 76ers. Now, the 76ers are slowly turning things around, but their injury issues are too significant to ignore. Meanwhile, the Bucks have been better since their rough start, but there are still some questions there.
And even though the Heat weren’t amazing last year, Celtics fans were still scared to draw them in the first round. Butler didn’t end up playing, but he’s the closest thing to a Celtics boogeyman there is in the NBA.
So, as he potentially gets set to leave Miami, a new era of Celtics competition has arisen in the Eastern Conference—the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Orlando Magic.
No longer are the Bucks, 76ers, and Heat the top threats to Boston in the East. Instead, a new group has taken that title.
The Cavs are the best team in the conference right now, the Knicks have figured things out after a slow start, and the Magic, despite a ton of injuries, are sustaining a ridiculously high level of play.
If the Celtics want to win another championship, they may still have to square off with the likes of Philadelphia, Miami, and Milwaukee, but they don’t run the East anymore.
And once Butler is gone (if he does end up leaving), it will officially mark a new era of Celtics competition.