Dwyane Wade Talks Jimmy Butler's Heat Trade: 'I Hate the PR Game That's Been Played'
Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade didn't have a problem with Jimmy Butler wanting to leave the organization prior to his trade to the Golden State Warriors, but he would have liked to see the whole situation handled in a different way.
Appearing on the 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony podcast (starts at 51:02 mark), Wade said "I hate the PR game that's been played" when discussing the Butler-Heat dynamic that led to the trade.
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Butler was not shy in publicly expressing his desire to get traded for weeks before a deal came together. He told reporters after the Heat's loss to the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 2 he wanted "to get my joy back from playing basketball" and it "probably" wouldn't happen in Miami.
Butler was also suspended on two separate occasions by the Heat in January for conduct detrimental to the team. His second suspension came after he walked out of practice on Jan. 27 upon being informed Haywood Highsmith was going to replace him in the starting lineup.
It wasn't just Butler using the media to get his message out. After the six-time All-Star said in May the Heat would have defeated the Boston Celtics in the playoffs if he had been able to play, team president Pat Riley told reporters a player who didn't participate in the games "should keep your mouth shut."
The situation between Butler and the Heat seemed headed for a divorce long before the split actually happened. They finally resolved the situation on Feb. 6 when he was traded to the Warriors as part of a five-team deal.
Butler also got a two-year, $121 million extension from the Warriors. He's thriving in his new home, averaging 16.8 points, 5.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game in 14 starts.
Golden State is 13-1 with Butler in the lineup and has climbed up to sixth in the West standings.
The Heat are struggling without him, having lost five straight and 12 of 16 games since Feb. 7. They are currently ninth in the Eastern Conference standings with a 29-36 overall record.
