Jimmy Butler has become the talk of the town for his comments after Thursday night’s contest against the Indiana Pacers. In a passionate monologue, Butler admitted that he no longer feels the same “joy” playing for the Miami Heat and hence, publicly requested a trade from the organization. The following day, NBA commentator Justin Termine expressed his frustrations with the Miami Heat forward on SiriusXM NBA Radio, harshly criticizing him for his lackluster performance and nonchalant demeanor in the last two games.
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Termine was clearly not amused by the 6ft 7” star’s subpar performances since his return from a supposed illness. The host of SiriusXM NBA Radio called Butler out for recording only 18 points on 11 attempts across two games. Termine further claimed that Butler’s one-legged three-point attempts made it evident that he wasn’t serious in his approach.
The analyst then called out Butler for being disrespectful to former players and fans through his conduct.
“Disrespecting all that have come before him…Disrespecting every fan that spends their money to go watch the Heat in Indiana last night… They gotta watch him making $49 million acting like a jerk, acting like he’s disinterested, acting like he can’t be bothered for $49 million for a fan base that has, over the last five years, defended this guy to the nth degree,” Termine said, seething in anger.
“They have to watch [Jimmy Butler] make $49 million dollars [and] act like a jerk?”@TermineRadio tells @Jumpshot8 he is livid with how Jimmy Butler is treating the Miami Heat and its fanbase. pic.twitter.com/bUTaH09y6H
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) January 4, 2025
Termine had a major point of contention with Butler’s lack of enthusiasm to show up for Miami in the last two games. He underlined how a future Hall-of-Famer shouldn’t be standing in the corner waiting for threes like the Heat star did in the last two games.
Butler has struggled during the 2024-2025 season, averaging 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. But Termine’s criticism might be a little too harsh as Butler handles multiple setbacks both on and off the court.
Butler has been penalized for his comments
After the Heat’s loss to the Indiana Pacers, Butler expressed his dissatisfaction, stating that he needed to rediscover his love for basketball, which he felt was only possible outside of Miami.
“I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball and wherever that may be, we’ll find out pretty soon. I want to get my joy back. I’m happy here off the court, but I want to be back to somewhat dominant, I want to hoop and I want to help this team win. Right now, I’m not doing that,” Butler said in the postgame press conference.
His remarks cast a negative spotlight on the Heat’s culture. Rather than ignoring the situation, the front office suspended Butler for seven games. Additionally, the Heat reversed their previous stance of refusing to trade the 33-year-old, announcing they would now be open to entertaining offers for the star player.
“Through his actions and statements, he has shown he no longer wants to be part of this team. Jimmy Butler and his representative have indicated that they wish to be traded, therefore, we will listen to offers,” the statement from the organization read.
Butler would be relieved knowing the team is actively seeking to trade him. Regarding his suspension, the NBPA is contesting the penalty. However, the fight is expected to be lengthy and may only reach a resolution after Butler has already served the suspension.
