Miami Heat · Franchise era 6 of 6
The Butler and Bam teams: the Miami Heat story
The story in one sentence
Butler and Adebayo led two Finals appearances as Miami repeatedly outperformed its seed with defense, shooting and belief.
01
Undrafted depth and improbable Finals runs
02
Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro gave the era its recognizable core.
03
Its final meaning is still being written.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 2019–20
What came before
Miami stayed competitive through abrupt change, using conditioning and development to find value outside the lottery.
- 19TradeJuly 6, 2019
July 6, 2019
The sign-and-trade that gave Jimmy Butler his team
Butler wanted a franchise built around his competitive identity. Miami needed to create the pathway without conventional cap room.
To MIA
To PHIJimmy Butler to MiamiMIA receives Jimmy ButlerPHI receives Josh Richardson2 original assets · 1 outcomes tracedOpen trade → 2020
NBA Finals: Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Lakers
2023
Eastern Conference Finals: Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics
2023
NBA Finals: Miami Heat vs Denver Nuggets
Still unfolding
Where the story stands
This chapter remains active, so its final place in franchise history is still being written.
The core