MIAMI 鈥� Tyler Herro had a new haircut for media day. Jimmy Butler鈥檚 hairstyle was, to the disappointment of some, normal.
And with that, the Miami Heat season started in predictably unpredictable fashion.
Butler was not at the start of Heat media day on Monday morning, after his flight back from Paris was delayed 鈥� travel issues 鈥� and he didn't arrive in South Florida until early afternoon, a few hours behind schedule. Everyone else was there for the start of the season, including Herro, who sported a new, simple buzzcut to start the year and said he鈥檚 keeping it all season.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all business,鈥� Herro said.
Media day is the annual prelude to the start of training camp and by showing up basically in costume 鈥� new hairdo, some facial piercings and a look that went viral immediately. It was his 鈥淓mo Jimmy鈥� phase, he said. And he did something similar in 2022, going through media day with dreadlocks in another switch from his usual look.
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This year, Jimmy was just Jimmy. Social media was wondering what he'd come up with this year, and perhaps to the chagrin of those posters, he kept things simple.
鈥淚'm here. Normal hair,鈥� Butler said. 鈥淣o shenanigans. ... I've been running around trying to make it back here. I'm just happy that I'm here.鈥�
Butler is expected to be with the team for its first practice on Tuesday when training camp opens in the Bahamas. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Butler is 鈥渋n a good place coming into camp and he鈥檚 prepared himself for this camp.鈥�
鈥淗e鈥檚 at a point now where he needs me to really coach this team at a high level,鈥� Spoelstra said. 鈥淗e needs me to coach him at a high level, push him to higher levels and I need him to be at his highest level as a player, as a leader and the same goes for everybody else.鈥�
Butler was in Los Angeles last week for the premiere of the Netflix docuseries 鈥淪tarting 5,鈥� which followed him and four other NBA stars 鈥� the Los Angeles Lakers鈥� LeBron James, Boston鈥檚 Jayson Tatum, Minnesota鈥檚 Anthony Edwards and Sacramento鈥檚 Domantas Sabonis 鈥� throughout last season. From there, he went to Paris and was seen at Fashion Week events along with a Paris Saint-Germain soccer match on Friday night. Butler makes no secret of his PSG fandom.
This also is no secret: The Heat haven鈥檛 been thrilled by how many games Butler has missed in recent years. He was eligible for an extension this summer that could have netted him up to $113 million for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons, but no deal was put together. Butler could leave after this season as a free agent if he chooses, or a new deal in Miami could be struck in the interim.
The 35-year-old Butler has missed 100 regular season games in his five Miami seasons, sitting out for injuries, rest or other reasons nearly 26% of the time. He suffered a knee injury during the play-in tournament last season and missed Miami鈥檚 five-game Round 1 playoff loss to eventual champion Boston.
Heat President Pat Riley said last spring the team was facing 鈥渁 big decision鈥� on offering Butler any extension, particularly one that would have cost the team more than $55 million a year.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a big decision on our part to commit those kinds of resources unless you have somebody who鈥檚 going to be there and available every single night,鈥� Riley said after last season. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the truth.鈥�
Butler didn't seem bothered by the lack of an extended deal.
鈥淚 guess I've got to go and hoop,鈥� Butler said. 鈥淚've got to prove that I am a major part of winning and rightfully so. I've done it before. This is no different. ... That will take care of itself.鈥�
Spoelstra gave no indication that Monday鈥檚 delayed arrival was troublesome. It鈥檚 obvious that Butler will start, alongside captain Bam Adebayo, and Spoelstra strongly suggested that point guard Terry Rozier (who is full-go for camp after his 2023-24 season ended early because of a neck injury) and Herro also are entering the year with starting spots.
Herro has been a Sixth Man of the Year and has said in the past he wants to be a starter. This year, with the new haircut, he had a new approach: He said he鈥檒l take whatever role Miami wants him to have.
鈥淗onestly, I鈥檓 just going to leave it to Spo and Pat. Whatever they say I am, that鈥檚 what I am,鈥� Herro said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a starter, I鈥檓 off the bench, we鈥檙e going to let the best coach in the league decide, we鈥檙e going to let one of the best GMs or presidents ever to do it decide if I鈥檓 starting or coming off the bench. I鈥檓 willing to do whatever it takes to win a championship.鈥�
