The Eastern Conference Finals are set to begin Tuesday, March 17, featuring a young and hungry Boston Celtics squad against a scrappy Miami Heat. While the Celtics frontcourt features a dynamic duo in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Heat look determined to make their way back to the NBA Finals and prove that the “bubble season” was not a fluke. While veteran All-Star Jimmy Butler always makes time to advocate for his premium Big Face Coffee, the off-court barista has been a force to be reckoned with throughout the 2022 playoffs. Let’s check out some statistics in key players on both Eastern Conference finalists and analyze how their card prices have recently fluctuated.
The chart below from Basketball-Reference.com illustrates Jimmy Butler’s career statics in the playoffs. The last time the Heat made it to the finals was during the 2019-2020 pandemic-bubble season. Per the table below, one can see that Butler averaged 22 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals per game on 49% shooting and 35% from three-point range. So far during the 2022 playoffs, Butler is averaging a scorching 29 points on 53% shooting and 36% from three. To boot, he is logging over 5 assists and 2 steals per game. As the undisputed two-way leader of the Heat, collectors in the hobby may be wondering how Butler’s cards are trending.
One of Butler’s most coveted cards is the 2012-2013 National Treasures RPA numbered to 199. The table showcases the most recent sales of this card:
| Date Sold | Price | Grading |
| 4/10/2022 | $1,136.00 | BGS 8.5 |
| 4/12/2022 | $3,799.99 | BGS 9.5 |
| 5/2/2022 | $2,100 | BGS 9 |
Collectors can see that of the three most recent sales, the card peaked roughly a month ago in mid-April with a BGS 9.5 fetching just under $4,000. The most recent sale occurred earlier this month, with a BGS 9 selling for $2,100. Although this is a dip from the prior sale a month ago, this card is also a slightly lower grading, and still much higher than the $1,100 card sold on April 10th. Still, it is fair to contemplate why Butler’s cards may have seen a decline in such a short period of time.
It is important to keep in mind that card prices can fluctuate dramatically in short periods of time. Since its peak on April 12, one big thing to keep in mind is that awards season is in full swing. And Butler’s young playmaking teammate, Tyler Herro, just claimed Sixth Man of the Year in blowout fashion. Let’s take a look at how Herro’s cards have trended over the last few weeks.
Herro’s National Treasures RPA /99 is easily one of his best cards. According to data from Market Movers, this card has experienced a recent spike in demand. Back in February, this card sold for nearly $4,500 raw, and merely a week later sold for $7,500 in BGS 9. However, the last two sales, occurring on April 25 and May 1, were squarely in-between the February sales. Herro’s NT RPA /99 sold for $5.7K on May 1 in SGC 9, yet a PSA 9 of the same card sold for $8,100 in late April. Determining the true value of this card is somewhat challenging given the finite number of sales, and the various grading conditions (i.e. SGC vs. BGS vs. PSA).
When compared to Butler, an already undisputed All-Star playing at a high level, collectors can see that Herro’s cards are in higher demand, evidenced by more sales and higher prices. Despite a somewhat lackluster performance averaging 14 points on a playoff career-low of 27% from three-point range, some collectors may be hedging that Herro is on his way to becoming a future NBA star, while Butler will be finishing his age 32 season, thereby sparking demand for his cards now.