It seems as if Jimmy Butler’s time with the Miami Heat could be nearing its end. After the team lost to the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 2, Butler was asked if he could find his joy for basketball again with the Heat, and he responded with “probably not.”
Shortly thereafter, an ESPN report dropped which detailed Butler wanting a trade.
BREAKING: Jimmy Butler has indicated to the Miami Heat he wants to be traded, per @ESPN
— Heat Nation (@HeatNationCom) January 3, 2025
Amid the drama, Bernie Lee — the 35-year-old’s agent — seemingly blocked NBA reporter Evan Sidery on X and had some harsh words to say in a tirade that spanned several posts.
Alright….. I blocked you because I got tired of seeing your sh*t. Let’s be clear abt a few things. The thing I took issue with was you and the other speed bump was doing the version of Woj you have imagined without the skill where you take a story we all see and in a rush https://t.co/rfkDK9wOG2
— Bernard Lee (@BernieoLee) January 4, 2025
To put your spin on it or claim ownership you invented an aspect of it that doesn’t exist where what an actually journalist would 1. Have a relationship to speak to a party invoked and 2. Just wait and see what happens and report that. https://t.co/rfkDK9wOG2
— Bernard Lee (@BernieoLee) January 4, 2025
Everything you being tweedle dumb and tweedle dumber said was wrong in that Everything attributed to me never happened, that was what I took issue with. You can clearly say whatever you want that’s the world I work in, but when you use my name to make your creation legitimate https://t.co/rfkDK9wOG2
— Bernard Lee (@BernieoLee) January 4, 2025
That’s when I have to say something because I get that you don’t care that you look like an idiot you are just looking for the experience of attention.. but I am different. We are not the same. God speed. https://t.co/rfkDK9wOG2
— Bernard Lee (@BernieoLee) January 4, 2025
The Butler drama is ongoing. On Friday, he was handed a seven-game suspension for “conduct detrimental to the team,” and the forward is slated to be sidelined for the entirety of Miami’s upcoming six-game road trip.
The former Marquette University standout was a linchpin to Miami’s two NBA Finals appearances earlier on in the decade and is in his sixth season with the team. So far in what could be his swan song with the Heat, he’s averaging 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals per contest.
He scored just nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 shooting from deep in Miami’s loss to the Pacers after scoring just nine points on five shots against the New Orleans Pelicans the day before.
It should be interesting to find out how the Heat fare in their upcoming games with Butler away from the team. Miami put together some impressive victories when he was sidelined last month, including a four-point road victory over the Houston Rockets.
Tyler Herro also seems to be ready to take on the responsibility of being Miami’s primary scoring option for the time being, a role he’s really had all season. He’s averaging a career-high 24.1 points per game while shooting 47.8 percent from the floor and 41.0 percent from 3-point range so far in his sixth NBA season.
Furthermore, Herro is only several days removed from a 32-point scoring outburst against the Pelicans. He shot 11-of-22 from the field, 5-of-12 from 3-point range and dished out four assists in that contest.
