“Be a professional”, is what former NBA player Nik Stauskas recently said in regards to Jimmy Butler. The Miami Heat veteran has been dominating the headlines with new developments dropping almost every day regarding his deteriorating relationship with his NBA team. What started as a mere potential trade rumor regarding contract issues turned into Butler publicly highlighting his disinterest in the Heat franchise, and the latter’s front office suspending him for 7 games. Looking to potentially avoid any more drama is what may have convinced Butler to make a trip down to another basketball league. However, the player could not avoid creating a new storyline even there.

Jimmy Butler was interviewed as he attended the recent matchup between Vinyl BC and Phantom BC. Both teams are reportedly associated with Unrivaled, a women’s basketball league that breaks away from the traditional five-on-five basketball and focuses on three-on-three games. Phantom BC boasts some big names, including 2014 WNBA champion Brittney Griner, New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, and 2x WNBA All-Star Satou Sabally. During the interview, the NBA player was all-praise for Sabally, highlighting the lessons that she, and women’s basketball, continue creating for aspiring players, and even himself. Unfortunately, Butler wasn’t willing to hand out the same praise to Phantom BC’s head coach Adam Harrington. Why? Maybe because, for Butler, player talent trumps coaching.

“Not much,” said the Miami Heat player when asked if Coach Harrington’s teaching can help his players. “And I tell you what. Anybody can do what he do. He’s just lucky he got such good players that they make him look good because he’s not that great at what he does. But my goodness, having hoopers like he got on his team, lucky. He’s a lucky guy”.

But, is it just luck? Butler thinks it’s talent, too. Not the coach’s but that of his players.  added to his statement by saying “Yeah it’s all about the talent. Coaches are good, but when you got some talented players, they always make you look so much better”. The reporter said that Butler’s statement may have been a statement in itself. This caused the latter to reply “Ain’t it? Ain’t it? We don’t like Adam, we don’t like Adam.”

Jimmy Butler’s remarks can be interpreted in quite a few ways. For one thing, Adam Harrington is someone who Butler has known for quite a while. Harrington had played in the NBA before the small forward’s time. However, he served as OKC’s shooting coach for one season. Later, he became the Brooklyn Nets’ assistant coach from 2016 to 2022. This led to him and Butler occasionally having some practice sessions, including one back in October 2024. Therefore, Butler’s dig at Harrington may have been made after having seen the coach’s teachings firsthand. Though there is no way of knowing, the remarks could very well have been sarcastic, too.

However, sarcastic or not, one thing that stood out from Butler’s statement was “Coaches are good, but when you got some talented players, they always make you look so much better”. Some may interpret this to be a dig against team head coach Erik Spoelstra or even Pat Riley. After Butler’s return from his suspension, ESPN highlighted one source close to the team as saying “I don’t know how he can come back to this locker room”. Another one reportedly said: “We don’t want him back.” Spoelstra himself has not admitted to any disdain towards Butler. Despite this, there is no denying that tensions exist in the Heat locker room, which can create all sorts of storylines.

At the same time, Jimmy Butler may not be choosing to intentionally beef with the Heat’s head coach. After all, all things considered, the feud has stuck Erik Spoelstra in the middle.

Former Clippers player highlights Erik Spoelstra can work despite being an unwanted casualty in Jimmy Butler and Pat Riley’s ‘Cold War’

The ongoing tensions between the Miami Heat front office and Jimmy Butler may exist on a big level. Despite this, the team is still in the middle of an NBA season. The Miami Heat is currently holding a 21-20 record, and placed as the 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Therefore, the franchise’s playoff chances slip away with each loss. This puts Erik Spoelstra in a difficult position, as he has to utilize Butler efficiently while the front office actively searches for a trade for him. A messy tomato stuck right in the middle of two fiery sandwich slices.

Former LA Clippers player Lou Williams discussed Erik Spoelstra’s plight during a recent segment of ‘Run It Back’. Williams highlighted not believing that trade discussion is going to compel Butler to perform below his level. Spoelstra seems to have realized this too. This may be why Butler has averaged 30 minutes or above since his return from the suspension.

As Williams highlighted, “If you don’t think he’s going to try to go out there and impact winning, you’re not gonna play him for an extended amount of time. Watching them play, they’re still playing through Jimmy Butler. They were posting him up, playing out of the splits, playing out the post. This is a guy that they still believe in that can help them win games.”

The trade discussion has not stopped Spoelstra from coaching the veteran. In fact, Butler is treated as if he will continue being a long-term player for the Heat. Before the matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, Spoelstra had even stated “We definitely want him (Butler) to be aggressive. That’s something we’ll build on, for sure.” With an attitude like that, we can rest assured that Jimmy Butler may have simply taken a dig solely at Adam Harrington, and not at his beloved head coach.