Jimmy Butler requested a trade from the Miami Heat and claimed he lost his joy playing basketball before ultimately landing on the Golden State Warriors in February. Ergo, there was a chance he would receive a frigid reception from the home crowd in the Kaseya Center for his highly anticipated return game.

The star wing certainly heard his share of boos in Tuesday's 112-86 loss to his former squad, but a sense of gratitude and appreciation also permeated the building. Overall, there was not the level of hostility that many people might have expected after the disintegration of Butler's working relationship with the Heat. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was not surprised by the city's relatively mild temperament.

“Miami is a great place to live,” Kerr said postgame, per The Athletic's Anthony Slater. “People don’t ever seem too amped up around here. So it really wasn’t that rabid an environment. Typical Miami. The main part of Jimmy’s return is that the Heat were ready.”

That last sentence rings especially true. Much was discussed about the motivation Butler might have felt to dominate in the place he called home for five and a half years, but his old teammates probably had their eye on this marquee matchup as well. Bam Adebayo racked up 27 points and eight rebounds, while Tyler Herro scored 20 points and was a perfect 4-of-4 from behind the 3-point line. Alec Burks made five treys himself, and the Heat shot an astounding 68 percent from deep.

A win would have obviously been nice no matter how it came by, but seeing the core members of the franchise that Butler left enjoy successful showings sends a strong statement. Although both teams remain on completely different trajectories following the trade, it presumably means something for the Heat to grab this game.

Jimmy Butler largely underwhelmed in his homecoming, posting 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting with six boards and two assists. Without Stephen Curry, Golden State's offense struggled to get into rhythm (39.8 percent shooting). Butler did not engage in pleasantries with Miami after the final buzzer sounded, making his way to the locker room while other players proceeded with the routine dap up. Maybe he did not want to steal the spotlight? Regardless, the swift exit will rub many the wrong way.

The six-time All-Star and 2023 Eastern Conference Finals MVP did offer warm words for his ex-teammates and fan base after the loss, but he will remain a polarizing figure in South Beach for the time being. The absence of ferocious hatred hardly means that Miami will be rooting for Butler when he and the Warriors compete in the postseason this spring.

Neither franchise has time to focus on drama, however. The stakes are ramping up with just 10 games remaining in their respective regular seasons.