Heat Nation reacts with gratitude, memories following Butler trade

State of play: In the hours following the trade, Heat fan pages weren't posting videos of jersey burnings or other acts of erasure.

• Instead, many posted Butler tribute videos on social media or simply thanked him for his time in the 305.
• They also reminisced. That 2023 playoff game against Milwaukee? It's a moment fans say they'll never forget.

What they're saying: After Wednesday night's Heat win against Philadelphia, Nikola Jovic called Butler his brother, telling reporters he didn't know where he'd be "if it wasn't for him."

• Guard Terry Rozier, predicted the trade will take "a huge weight off everybody's shoulders" and allow the team to move forward, the Miami Herald reported.
• Coach Erik Spoelstra asked reporters to table questions related to the trade, promising he'd "give [them] an answer" later.

Kevin Love, as usual, made his true feelings known on social media, where for weeks he'd been documenting the saga through video clips.

• On Wednesday evening, he posted a clip of the famous escape scene from Shawshank Redemption.

Meanwhile, Butler on Wednesday posted a snippet of a song with the caption "welcome to the wild wild west."

• As of Thursday night, he had yet to post a goodbye message to his fans or teammates.