After suffering a disappointing loss in the NBA Finals, the Miami Heat were in the news for being the preferred destination for Damian Lillard. Jimmy Butler has been supposedly trying to lure Lillard to join the Heat since then. Initially, Jimmy G Buckets added a screenshot of Dame DOLLA’s song to his story. Later, while in China for his Li-Ning Tour, Butler even mimicked the Portland Trail Blazers star’s iconic celebration. Weeks after that, Butler has now gone viral for sinking in an impressive backward granny shot in front of many fans.
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It is no surprise that the Miami Heat and Damian Lillard share mutual interests. Unfortunately, the Blazers haven’t received an offer of their liking yet to facilitate a Lillard trade. While a potential deal between the two franchises seemed to be delayed, Jimmy Butler was still continuing his antics, trying to recruit the sharpshooter.
During his time in Asia, the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player was seen playing one-on-one with a lucky fan. After knocking down a wide-open three-point shot, the two-way Forward mimicked Lillard’s iconic celebration from the 2019 playoffs. However, things might change now that the NBA has issued a memo warning Lillard and his agent to not talk about a potential Miami trade.
Jimmy Butler hits a backward granny shot while in China on his Li-Ning Tour
Back in 2020, Jimmy Butler agreed to a multiyear signature shoe contract with Li-Ning. Butler joined the likes of Dwyane Wade and CJ McCollum to be associated with the Chinese brand. The 33-year-old was seen wearing the JB1 sneakers over the course of the 2022-2023 season, leaving fans impressed.
Last month, Jimmy began his Li-Ning Tour in China. Over the course of the next few weeks, Butler kept giving us updates from the Tour on his Instagram stories. During the final days of his Tour, he got in a no-look shots battle with a few fans. As seen in the video posted by Bleacher Report, Butler casually knocked down a backward granny shot. To be fair, keeping the distance from the basket in mind, the shot is far more difficult than Butler makes it seem.
From the food and the culture to the fan interactions, Jimmy clearly had a blast during his time in China.
How will the Heat fare in the 2023-2024 campaign?
The Miami Heat made an unexpected run to the NBA Finals this past postseason. If the Florida side were to acquire Damian Lillard to their roster, the Heat would certainly become one of the best teams in the league. With the Boston Celtics becoming a stronger squad, Lillard’s addition will allow Erik Spoelstra’s boys to be the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference.
If Dame isn’t acquired this offseason, Butler would still have the majority of the team’s offensive load on his shoulders. The Miami Heat have lost Victor Oladipo, Max Struss, Gabe Vincent, and a few other rotational players this summer. Considering how deadly the Celtics and the Bucks’ lineups look, the Heat might struggle to finish with a top seed.
