Jimmy Butler’s Agent Lied to Miami Heat Last Season

Jimmy Butler‘s agent, Bernie Lee, lied to the Miami Heat last season, according to NBA reporter Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

Butler was upset the Heat didn’t give him a contract extension and requested a trade. Miami wound up trading the All-Star small forward to the Golden State Warriors.

“A Heat source said Jimmy Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, promised Miami that Butler would comport himself well last season and would never complain about not getting a contract extension,” Jackson wrote. “That proved to be untrue, leaving the Heat without any bargaining position at the trade deadline.”

The Warriors signed Butler to a two-year, $110 million extension after acquiring the swingman from the Heat.

Miami made the NBA Finals twice (2020, 2023) during the Butler era, losing both times. The Heat lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 NBA Finals in six games and fell to the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals in five games.

Butler played in 316 games with the Heat. He averaged 21.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.4 blocks.

A six-time All-Star, Butler has played for the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, Heat and Warriors. He was traded by Chicago, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Miami.

“As one Western Conference source said, for all of Jimmy Butler’s greatness, he’s an acquired taste with a limited market,” Jackson wrote. “The Heat assuredly could have acquired a better package if Butler had been dealt after the Heat’s 2023 Finals run, but Miami never considered that and understandably so. The Heat perhaps could have acquired more if he had been traded before the 2024 trade deadline, but that’s speculative.”

The Warriors beat the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2025 playoffs in seven games but lost to the Timberwolves in the conference semifinals in five games.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers swept the Heat in the first round.