Inside The Heat

Jimmy Butler's Agent Says Dwyane Wade's Podcast "Can Kick Rocks"

Alex Toledo|
Apr 12, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade (3) and forward Jimmy Butler (21) rest during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at the United Center. Chicago defeats Brooklyn 112-73. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-Imagn Images
Apr 12, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade (3) and forward Jimmy Butler (21) rest during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at the United Center. Chicago defeats Brooklyn 112-73. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-Imagn Images | Mike DiNovo-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat

It seems the drama still hasn't quite come to a full close when it comes to Jimmy Butler, the Miami Heat and any parties even slightly involved airing out their grievances. On Monday, Dwyane Wade criticized Butler's play on his podcast. Today, Butler's agent, Bernie Lee shared a bold response to what Wade had to say.

"[Dwyane Wade's podcast] can kick rocks haha," Lee said. "Let's be clear, the playoffs for him started on February 1. Took a team that was 11th got them to the 2nd round of the playoffs. 2. That finals team thats just kind of off handedly mentioned here had 9 undrafted players on it."

This was surprising to see because of Wade's friendship with Butler, which blossomed when the two played together for the Chicago Bulls in the 2016-2017 season. It is also known Wade was a large part of why Butler wanted to play for the Heat two seasons later.

What kicked all of this off was Wade's live reaction to Butler's performance in Game 5 of the Golden State Warriors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves second-round series. Butler averaged just 15.5 points on 10 shot attempts, six rebounds, 4.5 assists and two stocks in the final two games of the Warriors' season.

Warriors superstar Stephen Curry got hurt in the second quarter of Game 1, leaving Butler as to deal with the likes of Jaden McDaniels, Anthony Edwards, Nickeill Alexander-Walker and the rest of the Wolves' third-ranked defense.

The Warriors sported a subpar 25-26 record before Butler's debut with the team. In 41 total games played as a Warrior, (including playoffs), Butler averaged 18.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and two stocks. With Butler and Curry, the Warriors won a staggering 78 percent of their games (27-14). Butler also received the contract extension the Heat didn't want to give him.

Meanwhile, the Heat had a 16-14 record before the first night of 2025, when it became clear to many that Butler wasn't giving full effort. One night later, he made the infamous comments to the media about wanting to find joy again playing basketball.

Since the Feb. 6 trade, the Heat won just 12 of 37 games.

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Alex Toledo
ALEX TOLEDO

Alex, who was born in Miami, is also a producer, co-host and reporter for the Five on the Floor podcast. He has covered the Heat and NBA since 2019 as a season credential holder. He studied journalism at Florida International University.