Former Miami Heat guard Kyle Lowry reportedly grew “fatigued” of teammate Jimmy Butler’s tendencies on the court.
“Sources say even Lowry, who remains as close away from the court as anyone to Butler, gradually grew fatigued by his teammate’s headstrong tendencies on the floor,” NBA insider Jake Fischer wrote. “Currently in his second season with his hometown Philadelphia 76ers, Lowry declined to comment last week when an interview was requested.”
Lowry spent multiple seasons with the Heat from the 2021-22 season into the 2023-24 campaign. The Heat ended up trading Lowry to the Charlotte Hornets ahead of the trade deadline last season in the deal that brought guard Terry Rozier to Miami.
A six-time All-Star, Lowry never ended up suiting up for the Hornets, but he latched on with the 76ers, where he spent the end of the 2023-24 season (playing for Philly in the playoffs as well). He is still there this season.
Butler’s relationship with Heat president Pat Riley has seemingly deteriorated since Riley made comments about the star at a press conference back in May. The Heat and Butler have yet to agree to terms on a new contract, and Butler has indicated to the franchise that he would like to be traded.
Butler has a player option attached to his current deal for the 2025-26 season. The expectation has been that he will opt out of it to become an unrestricted free agent this coming offseason.
This season, Butler is averaging just 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 55.2 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. He’s averaging his fewest points per game since the 2013-14 season (back when he was with the Chicago Bulls), and he’s only appeared in 22 games in the current campaign.
Earlier this month, Miami suspended Butler for seven games for conduct detrimental to the team. He has not appeared in a game since Jan. 2 against the Indiana Pacers.
The Heat are shockingly on a three-game winning streak without Butler and currently hold the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference.
While Lowry didn’t end up winning a title with the Heat, he did help them make the NBA Finals in the 2022-23 season while playing alongside Butler. However, it appears that Butler wasn’t the easiest player for Lowry to share the court with during their time as teammates, even though they’ve been known to have a close relationship.
Hopefully, the Heat will be able to come to a resolution with Butler sooner rather than later.
