Inside The Heat

Legend Tim Hardaway Says Jimmy Butler Trying To "Sink" Miami Heat's Ship

Shandel Richardson|
Nov 14, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Former Golden State Warriors player Tim Hardaway speaks to the media before the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
Nov 14, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Former Golden State Warriors player Tim Hardaway speaks to the media before the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat

The Jimmy Butler saga with the Miami Heat is now spilling into the past.

On Saturday, Heat legend Tim Hardaway gave his take on the situation while speaking with SiriusXM NBA Radio. Hardaway made his stance clear: He sides with Pat Riley.

Hardaway said Butler is being disrespectful by refusing to accept the Heat's contract offer.

"You don't disrespect authority and that's what Jimmy Butler has been doing, Hardaway said. "I'll tell you this: this boat is going to sail on top of the water as long as Pat Riley is there. Jimmy Butler is trying to sink that ship. That ship is not gonna sink. I'm all with Pat Riley. You're under contract, you play uunder this contract and see where all the chips may fall. You can opt into $52 million next year that you say you're not going to opt in. It's mind-boggling to me. How you gonna opt out of $52 million?"

Hardaway also said he knows Riley has already sent a 10-page letter and video to the NBA Players Association explaining why the team suspended Butler.

"These guys can't take rejection," Hardaway said. "These guys can't take rejection. If you can't take rejection because everything has been saying, `yes, yes, yes' to you, now you're upset and the world is coming to an end, I can't play because he's going to give me the money I want."'

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here