Tim Hardaway, who played from the Heat from 1996 to '01 and has his No. 10 retired by the franchise, thinks Riley gave Butler too much of the leeway that is now being cited in the

Depending on how you process any recent Heat news, that latter point feels correct, given some of Butler’s relationships with players on Miami’s roster. That is especially true of younger contributors who have grown to see Butler as a mentor no matter his team-related drama or level of candor.

The Jimmy Butler trade saga is starting to heat up as the Feb. 6 trade deadline draws near. The veteran forward was recently handed an indefinite suspension by the Miami Heat, which could ease the way to him being traded in the coming days.