Now that Jimmy Butler has finally split from the Miami Heat, the basketball world is finally getting more details on what the relationship was like between the player and front office. In one meeting in 2019, Butler and Heat President Pat Riley celebrated his signing over a bottle of wine… when Butler revealed which of his teammates so far was the most talented.
“When Butler first came to the Heat in the summer of 2019, Butler was in Riley’s office celebrating the signing of the four-year, $142 million deal. The two men cracked open a bottle of Screaming Eagle cabernet from Riley’s personally curated wine cellar inside the Heat offices. Riley was telling stories, and he asked Butler who the most talented player he ever played with was. Butler answered quickly: Wiggins, the 2014 No. 1 pick and his teammate with the Timberwolves,” wrote ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “Riley was surprised, those who were in the room remembered, and joked that Butler might need to be cut off from any more wine. But Butler insisted. Wiggins’ talent was incredible. Five years later, they were traded for each other.”
We don’t know much about this meeting, but it’s ironic that the same player Jimmy named then is the same guy he’d get traded for years later. Despite his surprise, Pat Riley apparently heard Butler’s review and is hoping to benefit from that amazing talent.
As for Butler, we know he started on good terms with the Miami Heat, and he had a great relationship with Pat Riley. After Jimmy first signed, he became a fan-favorite player and the perfect representative of the team’s legendary winning culture.
As he and Riley were celebrating his arrival, Butler shocked everyone in the room by giving the ultimate compliment to Andrew Wiggins. Despite playing alongside superstars like Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Derrick Rose, and Karl Anthony-Towns, Butler tapped Wiggins as his most talented teammate ever.
Of course, he didn’t know at the time that the Heat would end up trading him in exchange for Wiggins. Now, Pat Riley has the chance to see for himself just how talented Andrew Wiggins really is.
This season, through 43 games, Wiggins is averaging 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game on 44.4% shooting. He’s been with the Warriors for the past six years but going forward he’ll be tasked to lead the Miami Heat with Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler will be working to recover his image and reputation on the Warriors. With averages of 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game this season, Butler’s stats are down across the board but there is hope that he can elevate his play on a new team with a fresh start.
Only time will tell how this saga ends for Butler and the Heat, but it seems things have come full circle after the meeting between Jimmy and Pat Riley. It was never planned to be this way, but the Miami Heat will find out soon enough if Wiggins is the kind of player who can step into Butler’s shoes as the veteran star on the wing.
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