The 2016 Free Agency had a lot of big names. While most chose to return to their former teams, the two big moves were Kevin Durant leaving for the Golden State Warriors and Dwyane Wade moving to his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls.

During a recent interview, Wade revealed that the reason he chose to come to the Bulls was Jimmy Butler. Talking about the current Heat star, Wade said, “That’s my brother. Jimmy went to Marquette as well, obviously after me. I knew Jimmy when he was still at Marquette. He was the reason I went to Chicago. So to be able to have him in Miami, doing what he’s doing, it’s a blessing.”

When he joined the Bulls, Wade was in his 15th season in the league and was into the twilight of his career. Despite that, he averaged 18.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. His journey in Chicago then came to an end when he was waived off in the off-season. So the Marquette alumni were only able to spend one season together.

Can Jimmy Butler emulate what Dwyane Wade did in Miami?

During his time with the Heat, Wade won three titles and was Finals MVP during the first one. Now Butler is leading the Heat team and will be hoping for similar success. He has been an exceptional leader for this young team and has stepped up in the playoffs after an underwhelming regular season.

So far in the playoffs, the Heat have been ruthless. They routed the Pacers 4-0 and then sent the #1 seed Bucks packing with a 4-1 victory. They have now reached the Eastern Conference Finals where they will face the Celtics. The Heat are one of the most dangerous teams around and will be the favorites heading into this matchup.

If they go on to win the title, they will be the first-ever 5th seed to win the title and only the second team after Hakeem Olajuwon’s 6th seed Rockets to win despite being lower than the 4th seed. This is a Playoff-Cinderella story in the making and because of that they are one of the most loved teams in the league now.