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The Oklahoma City Thunder could have been a dynasty if they had been able to land a former Defensive Player of the Year center.

A former rival of the Oklahoma City Thunder recently revealed he almost signed with the team and why he played hard against them.

"For no particular reason," The Athletic's Fred Katz mentioned Miami owes an unprotected 2026 first-round to the Thunder if they miss the playoffs this season. But of course, he noted this as Butler and the Heat are headed toward what's shaping up to be an inevitable split.

A Miami Heat legend recently revealed the surprising reason for Jimmy Butler's absence in the game against the Orlando Magic.

The Miami Heat (20-19) aim to even the season series with the Denver Nuggets (24-16) Friday night in South Beach (8 ET, League Pass). The Nuggets will try to bounce back from a loss on Wednesday, while the Heat look to stop a two-game losing streak after being on the road for ten days.

Kyrie Irving scored 25 points as the Dallas Mavericks brought the high-flying Oklahoma City Thunder down to earth with a 106-98 victory over the Western Conference leaders on Friday. Oklahoma City, riding high after their rout of Eastern Conference pace-setters Cleveland on Thursday,

Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander suffered an injury against the Cavs, forcing him to miss Friday's matchup against the Mavericks

Dallas improved to 23-19 while Oklahoma City remain top of the West with a 34-7 record. Read more at straitstimes.com.

One of those is the defending champion Boston Celtics, who — at full health — dropped a disappointing game Wednesday night against a Toronto Raptors team that entered the night with only nine victories. Boston still has elite talent, but it has one glaring issue it seemingly can’t shed.

What should we expect from Jimmy Butler rejoining the Heat this week? And why Oklahoma City should be feeling thankful.