It has been a newsworthy Wednesday as the latest report from Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler prefers to be traded by the Feb. 6 trade deadline. While there has been a back and forth with some believing that the Heat trading Butler won’t happen, it seems that the relationship between the team and player has been fractured.
In response to the ESPN report, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald would not only talk about how Butler hasn’t formally requested a trade but talked about the relationship between the two parties. He would mention how Butler was “caught off guard” when Riley said the player should “keep your mouth shut” during his May end-of-season press conference about comments made about the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.
“A source said that Butler was caught off guard when Heat president Pat Riley, during a May news conference, scolded him,” Jackson wrote. “For saying that “Boston would be at home” and “New York damn sure would be [expletive] at home” if Butler had been healthy for Miami’s five-game first-round playoff loss against the Celtics, which he missed because of a knee injury.”
A video would show Butler being confident saying that if he was healthy for last season’s playoffs, the Heat would beat the Celtics and Knicks. He would have an MCL sprain that kept him out of the postseason which Miami lost in five games to Boston in the first round of the playoffs, but Riley was not a fan of the response.
“For him to say that, I thought, ‘Is that Jimmy trolling, or is that Jimmy serious?’” Riley said. “If you’re not on the court playing against Boston or on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut.”
Pat Riley on Jimmy Butler saying Boston would be home if he was playing:
“They are this year, the best team in the league…For him to say that, I thought is that Jimmy trolling or serious, if you’re not on the court playing, you should keep your mouth shut…” #HeatCulture pic.twitter.com/89SB0P7To0
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) May 6, 2024
The Heat and Butler have been in trade speculation which was amplified when Charania reported that the team would be “open” to listening to offers with the star’s preferred destinations if he were to be dealt. However, Jackson would also report that Butler was “disappointed” that the team didn’t refute ESPN’s story.
“According to a source, Butler was also disappointed that the Heat did not publicly deny a Dec. 10 ESPN report that Miami was open to trading him,” Jackson wrote.
It remains to be seen what happens between the Heat and Butler as he’ll either be traded before the Feb. 6 deadline or will play out the rest of the season and opt out of his deal to enter free agency. What started the drama and speculation would probably be when Butler was seeking a contract extension this past offseason, but Riley would be non-committal during his end-of-season press conference.
“Well, you know, we don’t have to do that for a year and so we have not discussed that internally right now but we have to look at that and then make that kind of commitment,” Riley said. “Okay. And when do we do it? We don’t have to do it until 25 actually, but we’ll see. We haven’t made a decision on it. And we really haven’t really in earnest. discussed it. So we’ll see what happens.”
Pat Riley on if he will be giving Jimmy Butler a contract extension this summer.
“Well, we don’t have to that for a year, so we have not discussed that internally…” #HeatCulture pic.twitter.com/JnJwCuKfbS
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) May 6, 2024
Butler has missed the last two games with a “stomach illness” which he left in the first quarter of the loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder last Friday as it looked originally like an ankle injury, but the team said he was “feeling ill.” Miami is 14-13 which puts them sixth in the Eastern Conference as they start a three-game road trip Thursday when they face the Orlando Magic.
This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.
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