Kevin Garnett Blasts Jimmy Butler Over Miami Heat Saga: ‘Do Your F*cking Job!’

Kevin Garnett believes Jimmy Butler's contract issues with the Miami Heat and team president Pat Riley are opening the door for teams to offer non-guaranteed deals in the future.

On an episode of KG Certified that aired last Friday, Garnett and Paul Pierce discussed Butler's contract issues, which have dominated the NBA news lately. The issue between Butler and the Heat is that the six-time NBA All-Star wants more money from the team, but Riley declined as a result of Butler not giving full effort on the court, leaving practice early, traveling separately from the team, and more. Butler has been very public about his desire to be traded.

According to Garnett, this issue will lead to teams offering players non-guaranteed contracts, which means a team won't fully guarantee a player's salary. If that happens, it will ruin all the work players have done to earn their money, as long as they do their jobs.

"This is how non-guarantees are going to come into our league right here for shit like this," said KG. "We fucking fought our fucking ass off through five or six God damn lockouts to get to a point where we protect the integrity of the talent, and then that talent has a responsibility to be professional. Come in here and do your fucking job."

Garnett then referenced his contract issues with the Minnesota Timberwolves and team owner Glen Taylor, adding that he handled it by continuing to show up to work and play basketball. The same is true for Pierce, who had his own issues with the Celtics front office and owner Wyc Grousbeck at one point.

"You think I like Glen Taylor? You think I like that motherfucker? Nah. You think Paul like Wyc [Grousbeck] at one point when they weren't seeing eye to eye? We came in, we did our fucking jobs, we got paid and you went home," said Garnett. "You go home, soon as you got an opportunity to change that, you change it. But I ain't finna come in here, make a mockery, and one be a distraction to the other guys in here, 'cause bro, that's what you're doing."

Garnett also mentioned how John Wall handled the same situation with the Houston Rockets perfectly. Both sides agreed he would be away from the team so that the issue wouldn't be a distraction.

"This what I'm saying to the players. Keep your brand what it is because you done worked your ass off to get that," said Garnett. "You want to make a statement? Come out and get 50 [points]! If I was Jimmy Butler I would've came out I would've had 50 and be screaming at the top of my lungs with all these Heat fans, 'Yea, I ain't signing here next year.'Came out and got another 50. When you productive? [...] When you want some leverage? Man go out there and show your ass [...] you want some real leverage? Ball the fuck out."

Butler has been suspended indefinitely by the Heat after he walked out of the team's morning shootaround after being told he'd be coming off of the bench. Even his teammates are allegedly tired of his antics, as Rachel Nichols reported on the Open Floor podcast that Butler's running mates feel "disrespected" him.

"I've talked to guys in [the Heat] locker room, and to say they have had it is an understatement," said Nichols. "Because [Jimmy Butler] has disrespected them so much. The way he's been in and out, last minute not playing.The way he's been acting towards [team staff] in their locker room, and then the stunt with them making them wait for hours on the tarmac to even show up?"