Whether it was from a Shams Charania tweet, an ESPN notification or Kevin Love’s Instagram, you have probably heard about the Jimmy Butler trade drama. After nine months of commotion, on Feb. 5 Butler was sent to the Golden State Warriors in a trade involving Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson and a protected first-round pick.
For months, Butler’s antics were affecting the greater good of the team. From refusing to play, leaving practices early and missing a team flight, he was behaving as nothing less than a diva. Crazily enough, this isn’t even the first time Butler has behaved this way, as the drama that landed him on the Heat was nearly just as bad. The question then remains: why is he allowed to keep getting away with this? Why is his catty behavior rewarded with $111 million and the trade that he wanted?
It’s hard to deny Butler’s star power. Although he’s no longer in his prime, he still has impressive talent on both sides of the ball, leading the Warriors to a 24-point comeback in his first game with the team after his newly minted trade.
Plus, Butler’s off-the-court personality brings a lot of fun to any team he’s a part of. From his 2020 NBA Finals meme, (that Shams referenced after the end of this year’s trade deadline) to his 2023 emo media day photos that had him looking like a rejected member of Fall Out Boy, it's clear he has big charisma to match his even bigger presence on the court. This isn’t the first time the NBA has seen a zany player like this, especially one who manages to get his way despite questionable choices.
Enter: Dennis Rodman. The 90s star of the Chicago Bulls was arguably a liability to the team, leaving practice early to party in Vegas, among other wild antics. However, he was a major asset to the Bulls' 3-peat championship run in 1996, ‘97 and ‘98, so he continued to earn millions of dollars despite the trouble he caused for his team.
This means the NBA has essentially set the precedent that if you can back up your craziness with on-the-court performance, then you can still win out in the end, with Butler simply being one of the latest examples. The front office's continuing to allow these star players to behave however they please as long as they can back it up on the court is extremely nasty, and it only continues to encourage catty, bad behavior from players that affects their team and personal reputations. Although it wasn’t Jimmy Butler this time, the NBA needs to make an example out of somebody.
Emma is a senior studying journalism. Please note that the views expressed in this column do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Emma? Email her at ee646020@ohio.edu.
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