The Heat were by no means a top contender in the East when Butler was traded, but without their star they struggled to win games. Miami's struggles were on full display in its first-round matchup with the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.

Interesting thing I learned while reporting this piece: Miami’s strong interest in Andrew Wiggins was a huge advantage for the Warriors in the Jimmy Butler trade sweepstakes.

The context was one thing. The aggregation was another. And the fallout by the time it got to Tyler Herro was something closer to clicks on steroids.