Jimmy Butler Teases Change Amid Free Agency Inactivity

Despite being the only team yet to acquire a player via trade or free agent signing, the veterans are making sure to keep morale high. The front office may be quiet on the move, but Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green are ready for another championship. “We getting that b____ this year,” Green declared, and the other two in unison acknowledged and gave the fans renewed hope for next season’s charge.

Recently, Butler posted a carousel on Instagram featuring on-court clips of Draymond Green working out. The two veteran forwards practiced posting up, corner shooting, and even showcased savvy moves inside the paint before getting the buckets. Once the intense workout was done, Green was loud and sent a clear message to the other 29 teams, “We about six weeks out…right..where I need to be baby…we getting that b____ this year.” Even Curry in the comment section had no words, but expressed his desire, “👀🙌🏽.” Meanwhile, Butler’s caption on the post revealed his intentions. “whatever @money23green said on the last slide.”

Yet, in the video, something was a glaring miss. It wasn’t that their workout lacked something, but Jimmy Butler had blurred his shoes in different videos and pictures in that carousel post. A curious fan was quick to ask, “Why the blurring out on your shoes?” And the reply from the 6x All-Star once again shared his excitement. “you’ll see them soon“. So, Jimmy Buckets is not only looking forward to wearing a ring on his finger, but also something fresh on his foot.

For context, after taking the Miami Heat to the 2020 NBA Finals, Jimmy Butler made a huge decision to leave Jordan Brand for Li-Ning. Something similar to his former 2016-17 Chicago Bulls teammate Dwyane Wade. The Heat legend won the 2012 championship, his second and the first during the Big3 era. Yet, the Flash decided to leave the Michael Jordan brand in order to pursue his own legacy, and in 2018, signed a lifetime contract with the Chinese brand.

Now, Butler is yet to sign a lifetime deal, but his partnership with Li-Ning has turned heads globally. Many hoopers consider his JB3 model to be one of the most reliable performance sneakers available. That’s why, to cash in on the success, recently the 35-year-old went to Asia for a summer tour. From interactive fan events in Hong Kong to a headline-making appearance with Jackie Chan in Beijing, now that’s how you make a statement.

Jimmy Butler and his switch to Li-Ning was a story in itself

Leaving the Jordan brand is not is not easy, but joining them too is not everyone’s cup of tea. In fact, Jimmy reportedly took a 75% pay cut to switch to the His Airness brand from Adidas. That was in 2015, and the former Heat star quickly became one of Jumpman’s top endorsers, having appeared in many of its global marketing campaigns. His loyalty to MJ’s brand was so apparent that Butler only wore its apparel from head to toe and didn’t even wear Nike. But loyalty wasn’t everything, and the patience ran out.

During a 2019 interview with Complex, Jimmy Butler admitted that his relationship with the Jordan Brand had started to sour. “Me and Jordan aren’t in a good space right now.” He didn’t explain further about his reasons, but this was enough for Li-Ning to swoop in. And previously, Butler admitted his feelings for the brand. “I love Li-Ning which are the shoes that I wear on the basketball court. I think they do a phenomenal job of keeping my feet moving the way that they’re supposed to be moving.”

Some speculate that money was a huge part of Jimmy switching sides. While some have a theory that it was Wade who did the convincing. Now, whatever made Butler sway his decision, it has been working so far. That’s why he is excited for another drop soon. Keep your alerts ready, or they may sell out before you get the chance.