Udonis Haslem Offers Telling Comment on Feud Between Heat, Jimmy Butler

The Heat executive discussed the situation on "NBA Today" Wednesday.
Udonis Haslem before his jersey retirement in 2024.
Udonis Haslem before his jersey retirement in 2024. / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
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Make no mistake about it—former Miami Heat center and forward Udonis Haslem is the franchise. The Miami native and Florida product played 20 seasons with the team, had his number retired despite averaging double figure scoring in just four seasons and currently works for the team as vice president of basketball development.

Accordingly, when Haslem speaks, Heat fans listen—and he spoke on NBA Today Wednesday, ever so briefly, to address Miami's stalemate with forward Jimmy Butler.

"I will say this, guys, there's one thing that we do say," Haslem said, via Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, after broadly declining to comment on the situation. "You're either in or you're out and there's no in between. That's what I'm going to say and I'm going to leave it at that."

Butler is currently serving a seven-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team levied toward him on Jan. 3, when the Heat made his trade request public.

Miami is currently seventh in the East with a record of 20–18; the NBA's trade deadline is Feb. 6.


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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .