Butler’s Phoenix arrival

Jimmy Butler used Instagram to announce his arrival in Phoenix, posting a message in Portuguese hours before the Suns’ win-or-go-home play-in game on Friday, April 17. (x.com) The key line — “Phoenix, cheguei. Sim, vim buscar essa vitória” — translates roughly to “Phoenix, I’ve arrived. Yes, I came to get this win,” according to Google Translate. The post spread quickly on X through clips and screenshots tied to the Suns’ postseason push. (google.com) (x.com) Phoenix entered the night in the Western Conference’s final elimination game after losing 114-110 to Portland on April 14. The National Basketball Association’s play-in bracket lists Suns-Warriors at 10 p.m. Eastern on Friday, with the winner taking the West’s No. 8 seed. (nba.com) (sportingnews.com) That made Butler’s post part pep talk, part stagecraft on a night when Phoenix needed one more win to reach the first round. The play-in format sends the No. 7-vs.-No. 8 loser into a final game against the No. 9-vs.-No. 10 winner for the last playoff spot. (sportingnews.com) The Phoenix angle carried extra history because Butler was nearly a Sun two months ago. ESPN reported on Feb. 5, 2025, that Miami, Golden State and Phoenix were close on a multiteam trade before Kevin Durant declined a return to the Warriors, and Butler instead landed in Golden State on a two-year, $111 million extension. (espn.com) Phoenix finished the regular season 45-37 and opened the play-in as the West’s No. 7 seed, while Golden State entered Friday as the No. 10 seed after beating the Los Angeles Clippers 126-121 on April 15. The official bracket shows the Suns trying to stay alive against the team Butler actually joined. (nba.com) Butler has long used social media as part of his public persona, and the Portuguese phrasing fit that pattern as much as the moment. What changed Friday was the target: Phoenix was no longer a trade rumor or a missed deal, but the city at the center of the Suns’ season. (x.com) (espn.com) By tipoff, the post had done its job: it gave Phoenix’s play-in night a ready-made line, and it put Butler’s almost-was Suns story back into the conversation. (x.com)