Hardaway Sr.: Butler a 'crybaby' for forcing Heat trade

Hall of Famer and former Miami Heat guard Tim Hardaway Sr. sharply rebuked Jimmy Butler for the way he forced his way out of Miami after failing to secure an extension.

"I didn't agree with what he was doing. You're under contract. You're a baby. You're a crybaby because they said 'No' to you," Hardaway said Tuesday on SiriusXM NBA Radio. "We used to get said 'No' to us all the time and we used to know how to take it. It is what it is. It's a question, you get a yes or a no. You might not like the (answer), but you can't deviate and mess up the team."

Hardaway, who was traded from the Warriors to the Heat midseason in 1995-96, played 367 games over five-and-a-half years with Miami - similar to the 316 Butler totaled in the same time span.

The 58-year-old argued Butler and the Heat could have avoided having to go through the play-in tournament in both years they went to the Finals (2020 and 2023) had the veteran wing played more regular-season contests; Butler played in 58 of 73 games in 2019-20 and 64 of 82 in 2022-23.

"That takes a lot out of you," he said. "They want to say, 'Look, we want a week off. We want a week to prepare, and we need that week because we play hard each and every game and we need to rest.' So, he wasn't willing to do that."

A three-time All-NBA selection with the Heat in the mid- to late 1990s, Hardaway played under head coach Pat Riley, who now runs basketball operations as team president. However, Hardaway suggested the fellow Hall of Famer didn't discipline Butler enough prior to the three suspensions after his trade demand, citing a tense exchange during a timeout last season involving head coach Erik Spoelstra and team legend Udonis Haslem.

"I fault them for letting him get away with a bunch of stuff, too," Hardaway said. "You know, you gotta nip it in the bud. When he went after Spoelstra, told Spoelstra he'd kick his butt at a timeout, and they had to take another timeout because Udonis Haslem was circling around - that should have been like, 'Yo, you're getting three to five games.'

"You don't talk to the coach like that. You don't disrespect the coach like that."

Since arriving in Golden State, Butler is averaging 21.3 points, seven rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.3 steals in four games. He played 25 games in the first half of the season with Miami, during which he put up 17 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.