Goran Dragic Jokes Jimmy Butler Pressured Him into Signing New Heat Contract

Blake SchusterAnalyst IIINovember 21, 2020

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler, left, and guard Goran Dragic, right, talk during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Kim Klement/Pool Photo via AP)

Kim Klement/Associated Press

It turns out Goran Dragic had a pretty solid reason for returning to the Miami Heat as a free agent: Jimmy Butler jokingly suggested he'd attack him if he didn't.

Dragic announced his decision to re-sign with the Heat in a tweet posted one minute after free agency opened at 6 p.m. EST on Friday. He'll reportedly earn $18 million over two years, according to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.

But it wasn't the money that kept him in Miami. It was a phone call from Butler, per Reynolds:

Tim Reynolds @ByTimReynolds
More Goran Dragic to AP: Jimmy Butler called him last week and (half-seriously, we think) suggested physical violence could be coming his way if he didn't return to Miami. "Jimmy's a tough guy. ... I didn't want him chasing my ass," Dragic said.

That wasn't the only tactic the Heat took with the guard. Miami also placed billboards in Dragic's hometown in Slovenia encouraging him to return to the team:

Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
Message on poster translated from Slovenian to English: Your other family is always with you. Free agent negotiations begin tomorrow at 6 p.m. The Heat wants Dragic back. https://t.co/mEMzh7bcGe

While the team's method was a great look, it seems Butler's approach was more effective.

✨ Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content