NBA agent Bernie Lee and NBA insider Shams Charania have been in the news lately for reasons related to Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler, who Lee represents.
Amid all of the drama, Lee was called a “liar” by a user on social media, and he clapped back in his standard fashion on Friday.
I don’t know what hurt more here the fact that this got 23 likes or that this is actually oddly enough my mother’s burner. Cold world. https://t.co/x6NeLCNXZC
— Bernard Lee (@BernieoLee) December 13, 2024
The drama between Lee and Charania all started when Charania broke a story on Butler possibly being traded.
“The Heat are open to listening to offers for Butler and making a deal if the proposal is right, league sources told ESPN, and Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has indicated in league circles that Butler is open to destinations such as two of the Texas teams (Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks) and the Golden State Warriors,” Charania wrote. “Butler is a native of Houston, Texas. Above all, though, he is believed to prefer a win-now title contender in any trade. Teams have also been informed that Butler intends to opt out of his deal in the offseason and become a free agent, sources said. The Heat have hovered around the play-in tournament over the last two seasons, and with Butler’s contractual status, they have been open-minded to trade inquiries.”
Charania later added an additional layer to his report.
The Phoenix Suns are another team that Jimmy Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has indicated in league circles that the six-time All-Star is open to as a destination while Miami listens to trade offers, sources tell ESPN, joining Dallas, Houston and Golden State. pic.twitter.com/QCXA2uEMXt
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 11, 2024
That was when Lee spoke up, ripping Charania on social media for his reporting.
Alright listen. I gave you a pass yesterday because I was busy but if you don’t stop putting my name on your complete and utter made up bullshit because you know you normally arent worth my time to acknowledge.. (continued) https://t.co/1KOXza9kUI
— Bernard Lee (@BernieoLee) December 11, 2024
I don’t know what I’m going to do because I’m a middle aged dad but just know it would indicate severe dislike. World… all this is fabricated. I have never and honestly it wouldn’t help me or the position I represent to do anything that’s been reported by said “journalist” https://t.co/1KOXza9SKg
— Bernard Lee (@BernieoLee) December 11, 2024
Shams this is your opportunity to say my bad “I let chat GPT write my tweets and it went old school Peter Vescey..” (Shams Peter was a writer in the 90’s) be a trend setter.. invent the new I was hacked. Carry on all. Thank you. https://t.co/1KOXza9kUI
— Bernard Lee (@BernieoLee) December 11, 2024
But the exchange didn’t stop there, with Charania sending a message of his own during a TV appearance.
Shams sends a message to Jimmy’s agent
"I 1000% stand by my reporting. It's fully vetted. And as a professional, that's what I do, that's what I get paid to do… report truthfully and accurately. That's what this is. Period."
(h/t @ClutchPoints )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 12, 2024
Butler’s future has been a topic of conversation for a while now, but the subject has been particularly relevant this week for obvious reasons.
Making the whole situation more complex is the fact that the Heat have been playing some of their best basketball of the season lately. They’re currently on a four-game winning streak and have pulled to 13-10 overall, good enough for the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference.
Butler, meanwhile, remains a productive player at the age of 35. In 18 appearances this season, he’s averaging 18.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 55.0 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from deep. Of course, he’s also known to take his game up a notch when the playoffs come around, something that should be kept in mind when evaluating him.
The challenge for the Heat is that Butler is expected to hit free agency this offseason, and even though they reportedly aren’t worried about losing him to another team, they may need to consider whether or not they believe they can build a championship team around the aging star.
For now, winning is the best way for the Heat to solve their problems. If they keep stringing wins together, the franchise is going to have a tough time moving on from a player like Butler. Miami will have a chance to win its fifth game in a row when it faces the Detroit Pistons on Monday.
