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Jimmy Butler's current tiff with the Miami Heat isn't the first time he's had drama with his team. The six-time All-Star also burnt bridges with the Minnesota Timberwolves before getting traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2018.
Former Wolves teammate Jeff Teague sounded off about what Butler is going through, via the Club 520 Podcast.
“I get it. You know I love Jimmy, I get it, but I like hooping,” the retired guard said. “The business is going to be the business you know you’re going to get traded or you’re going to leave. You’re going to opt out, you’re going to do whatever you’re going to do, but like I know just enjoy playing basketball. I don’t know, it’s different for me.”
Butler got upset that Miami wasn't prioritizing him anymore, via ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. Between the Heat's refusal to offer an extension and their offensive focus on Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, “Jimmy Buckets” publicly asked for a trade on Jan. 2.
Butler has since been suspended by the team three times, with the current one being indefinite for walking out of practice when learning that Haywood Highsmith was starting over him on Monday. Miami big man Kevin Love took to Instagram to joke about it.
Love captioned the Denzel Washington “Training Day” meme: “Jimmy immediately after hearing he wasn’t in the starting lineup…#haywoodhighsmithoverme???” The hashtag is a reference to when Butler yelled “Tobias Harris over me?!” when the Heat beat the 76ers in the 2022 Eastern Conference Semifinals. The five-time All-NBA honoree felt that Philadelphia chose Harris over him when both players were free agents in 2019.
“Kevin Love you got to come on the show, you’re my type,” Teague said. “We got the same personality bro. He don’t take nothing serious.”
The hooper-turned-podcaster in the past has also recalled the infamous story of Butler refusing to play with his starting teammates at Wolves practice. Similar to the star's Miami situation, he was upset that Minnesota wouldn't give him a long-term deal, so he faced the starting lineup with the backup squad to make a point.
“They beat us like 18 – 6 right,” Teague recounted. “Jimmy is going crazy, ‘y’all think that team can win without me? I’m him pay me! Pay me!”
Butler also cut all of the “Minnesota” words out of his clothes. While Teague and Love find the humor in the former Most Improved Player's antics, the Heat are out of patience.
