With the Miami Heat’s season over and Jimmy Butler preparing for Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals with the Golden State Warriors, Pat Riley opened up about the drama that led to Butler’s midseason departure from Miami.
The Heat’s president addressed reporters on a wide range of topics; including the direction of the team and its current roster construction.
The focal point of the press conference though, was Riley’s version of what went down with Butler, who was shipped to Golden State at the trade deadline in a five-team deal for Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and a protected first-round pick.
Butler’s Final Weeks in Miami Were Dramatic
Full video of Pat Riley on Jimmy Butler:
- shut your mouth comments
- the good times with Jimmy
- the last year and a half
- won’t apologizing for no contract
- wishes Jimmy Butler well pic.twitter.com/Rsf3vJA7mD— Heat Culture (@HeatCulture13) May 9, 2025
Full video of Pat Riley on Jimmy Butler:
– shut your mouth comments
– the good times with Jimmy
– the last year and a half
– won’t apologizing for no contract
– wishes Jimmy Butler well
Riley said in December that Butler wouldn’t be traded despite his discontentment with the team for electing not to extend him last offseason — a decision Riley doesn’t regret.
“I’m not going to apologize for saying no on the contract extension when we didn’t have to,” Riley told reporters. “And I don’t think I should.”
After publicly voicing his displeasure with the team, Miami suspended Butler three times throughout the year — the last of which was indefinite until a trade could be completed.
The turmoil clearly had an effect on the Heat, who finished the year as the No. 10 seed at 37-45. Miami made it through the play-in round before being swept by the Cavaliers in the first round.
“There’s no doubt that what happened with Jimmy had a tremendous impact on our team,” said Riley while accepting blame for his role in the fiasco. “The buck stops with me. I’ll take that hit.”
No Hard Feelings
GettyJimmy Butler finally got his way when the Miami Heat sent him to the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline.
Riley has more than been around the block in the NBA. He has nine championships to his name — once each as a player and assistant coach, five times as a head coach and twice as an executive — and thus is able to look at Butler’s tenure in Miami through a wider lens.
“I remember this about Jimmy; I remember the bubble when he was hanging over the scorer’s table exhausted and trying to win a title,” Riley said. “I have that in my office, that picture.”
After five-plus years in Miami, the 35-year-old Butler is on his fifth team in the Warriors. It appears as though he’ll be in the Bay Area for the foreseeable future, though after declining his player option and signing a 2-year, $121 million extension following the trade.
Even after his dramatic exit, Riley has no ill will towards Butler, opting instead to remember the six-time All-Star for his contributions to teams that reached the finals in both the 2020 and 2023 seasons.
“I’ve been through those kinds of situations before, even with this team a couple times, and so it’s over, he’s done,” Riley said. “I wish him well, good luck to him and I hope deep down in his heart somewhere he wishes us well too.”
