Tuesday night, the Warriors travel to South Beach to play the Miami Heat. This would be just another regular-season game for both teams, except Jimmy Butler returns in front of the home Heat crowd for the first time since his off-the-court antics landed him with a new team at the trade deadline.

For months, the Heat dominated the headlines for the Jimmy Butler drama. From missed flights to subliminal social media messages to everything in between, Butler made it clear: I want out. Butler gets his way and is traded to the Golden State Warriors.

Since then, the two organizations have gone in two completely different directions. The Warriors have played themselves into the 6th seed of the Western Conference at a 41-30 record, winning 8 of their last 10 games. The Heat have the inverse 30-41 record, losing 9 of their last 10 games, and might get stuck as the 10-seed play-in team.

For the Heat fans, it’s hard to look at Jimmy Butler the same. From someone who exemplified “Heat Culture” with his heart and soul being poured into two improbable NBA Finals runs, to someone who now calls the phrase overused, Butler has really made fans question their love and loyalty to once their favorite player. How will they react to Butler? Will they applaud his accomplishments and efforts, or is it too soon and the fans give Butler a piece of their minds?

For the Heat players and coaching staff, they must be conflicted. Jimmy Butler went to war for some of his long-time teammates like Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo; all players who were in the bubble for the 2020 NBA Finals, and the same teammates who battled as a play-in team and an 8-seed to make the NBA Finals in 2023. Now, they’re not seen as “good enough” for Butler to play with. Will they play with a chip on their shoulder? Will they dap Butler up in pre-game?

For Jimmy Butler, this is a squad he likely envisioned himself playing for until the end of his career. This is a town where he wanted to deliver a championship, and if anyone doubts that, go back to the Finals where he exhausted everything within himself. For whatever reason, he lost his joy playing basketball in Miami and wanted a change. Deep down, will he feel anxious coming back to his most recent ex?

Butler calls this just another game on Tuesday night, but anyone else knows better. Jimmy Butler will have extra juice for this game, so will former Warrior Andrew Wiggins. Perhaps no team will be more motivated than the Heat squad Butler left behind.

The trajectories of these two teams are polar opposites. After Tuesday is said and done, this will just be “another game.” But for one night, nothing will matter more than securing bragging rights and fighting for pride.