Jimmy Butler mural in Miami gets unflattering update
Apr 19, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) during game two of the 2023 NBA Playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Jimmy Butler has managed to go from the hero to the villain in Miami at absolute warp speed.
Images went viral on Sunday of a freshly-updated mural in Miami featuring the disgruntled Heat star Butler. The mural originally featured a run-of-the-mill image of Butler (with other Heat players and figures occupying smaller spaces around it). But the mural has since been updated to include a sticker on Butler’s jersey that reads, “Clearance – Trade!” as well as a message on his headband that says “I quit!”
Butler is also carrying a coffee cup in the mural (a nod to his business Big Face Coffee). That coffee cup now displays the line, “Pay me!”
You can see the images below.
"I quit."
"Pay me."
"Clearance: Trade!"
This Jimmy Butler mural in Miami got some updates as Heat fans are done with him
(via @ONLYinDADE/ IG) pic.twitter.com/h7tHJ2au4g
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 5, 2025
Few could have ever predicted this outcome for Butler, who led the Heat to two unlikely Finals appearances in 2020 and 2023 and was embraced by the city in a way that few athletes ever have been (especially those who started their careers elsewhere). But Butler’s relationship with the Heat has very rapidly deterioriated in recent days, and he was just given a significant suspension by the team for his continued attempts to force a trade.
Now 35 years old, Butler, who can become a free agent by turning down his $52.4 million player option for next season, has been seeking a payday that the Heat are not willing to give him. As a result, Butler has let it be known that he wants to play anywhere but in Miami and recently even came under fire for seemingly quitting on the team with a couple of dud performances. You can see now that the backlash from Heat fans has thus begun.