Tim Hardaway Sr. shared on the "All the Smoke" podcast that Miami Heat president Pat Riley is becoming frustrated with Jimmy Butler, stating, "Pat gonna talk this year... he's tired of a lot of things that are going on with the team. He's tired of Jimmy Butler."
Tim Hardaway Sr., a former Heat guard and NBA Hall of Famer, has stated that Miami's president, Pat Riley, is becoming frustrated with star Jimmy Butler.
Jimmy Butler
| Position: | SF, SG |
| Age: | 35 |
| Height: | 201 cm |
| Weight: | 100 kg |
| Birth place: | Houston, United States of America |
At 35 years old, Butler is entering the final year of his contract with the Heat, sparking rumors of a potential parting of ways between him and the team.
At the end of last season, Riley avoided confirming whether the Heat would offer Butler an extension. His season-ending comments were fiery, and Hardaway wasn't surprised.
"I was waiting on that," Hardaway said on All the Smoke podcast."I knew something was going to happen. I told some people, I said, 'Pat gonna talk this year,' especially you know he's tired of a lot of things that are going on with the team. He's tired of Jimmy Butler."
Last season, Butler averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists over 60 games.
According to Hardaway, Riley's frustration may have been aimed directly at Butler: "I think he was saying, 'Yo, you haven't played a lot of games this year or last year. If you play more than 70 games, we won't be in the Play-In Games two years in a row. I need you to play. I need you to take care of your body. You need to be in this gym taking care of your body.'"
Tension between Butler and Riley grew after Butler made comments against the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks following his absence in the first round of the playoffs due to an injury sustained during the Play-In Tournament.
Subscribe to BN+ and get access to exclusive content.
