Pat Riley rarely shows his emotions. But during a meeting with Jimmy Butler, the gravity of the situation got to him. According to a report from James Jackson, Sam Amick, and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Riley broke down in tears during a meeting with Jimmy Butler to get him to stay. However, the display of emotion didn’t work, as Butler reportedly saw Riley as ‘unhinged’.
“According to multiple league sources with knowledge of the meeting, tears welled in Riley’s eyes as he attempted to connect with Butler on a human level.”
“Both men had lost their fathers, and Riley’s famed toughness faded in the moment as he thought about Butler mourning his father’s death last season. But Riley’s vulnerability did not land with Butler. The player viewed Riley’s behavior as “unhinged,” a league source close to Butler said.”
Jimmy Butler realized during the meeting that things were not going to improve and he needed to leave the Miami Heat. Riley also understood that the meeting didn’t go well, informing the rest of the franchise that he was more dedicated than ever to getting a deal done and moving Butler away from the roster.
“Butler left the meeting more convinced than ever that he needed a new basketball home. Team sources close to Riley say he promptly sent word that the meeting did not go well and was more motivated than ever to oblige. With that, any hope of an accord between the progenitor of Heat Culture and its modern torch-bearer floated off into Biscayne Bay.”
Clearly, the relationship between the two sides had deteriorated to such an extent that it could not be repaired. While it took a little over a month, Butler got his wish, as he was traded to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, thus ending this draft pick.
Butler Wanted To Get Paid For His Performances
In the same report, we got some more insight into the rift between Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. While we knew that Butler wanted to get paid, we now know that it was because he felt he had done a very good job taking two massively underserved Miami Heat teams to the NBA Finals during his first four seasons with the franchise. He just wanted to be rewarded for the work he put in.
“Butler saw an organization that did not give him the contract extension he felt he deserved after carrying two under-talented teams to NBA Finals appearances. He also believed the Heat failed on several opportunities to add more talent around him while conference rivals like Boston, Cleveland, and New York loaded up.”
There is no denying that Jimmy Butler did an incredible job on the Miami Heat. For him to take the team to two NBA Finals and three Eastern Conference Finals despite not having a single All-Star teammate is truly remarkable. In fact, the only time Butler had an active All-Star teammate was this season, as he played with Tyler Herro, who became an All-Star for the first time this season.
Well, no matter what anyone says, the saga between the two sides is now over. And both sides will be better served not thinking too much about their stagnant relationship over the last few months.
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