The Miami Heat took the odd step of keeping Udonis Haslem around on the roster for 20 years, until he was 42 years old. That was at least six years past his sell-by date: In his final six seasons in Miami, Haslem played only 65 games.
But he was, essentially, a coach on the bench and in the locker room for the Heat, and more important, he had the back of coach Erik Spoelstra. That was evident throughout the team’s recent turmoil with star forward Jimmy Butler, who was traded to the Warriors in February after a rough ending to his partnership with the Miami Heat.
Haslem, for one, did not appreciate the way Butler handled his Miami exit. Butler struggled to stay on the the floor in 2023-24 because of injuries, was called out by team president Pat Riley, and then sat out much of 2024-25 with more “injuries” as he sought a contract extension.
He did not get one, until he was dealt to the Warriors.
Haslem appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday and spoke about one of the times he and Butler nearly got into a scuffle, back when Butler wanted to fight Spoelstra during a timeout back in March 2022. Haslem’s response applied well to how Butler handled his final season in Miami.
Yeah, I was gonna whoop Jimmy (expletive),” Haslem said. “It’s OK, and I love Jimmy. But before I let one guy take down this locker room, I will whoop your (expletive). There’s 15 other guys in this locker room got the right mindset. Before I let this one guy take down this whole 15, I’ll whip your (expletive).”
After playing just 25 games for the Heat last year, Butler played 30 to close the year for Golden State.
