Heat Star Jimmy Butler Responds to Pat Riley’s Sharp Comments

Getty Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat speaks to the media during media day.

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler showed up with no gimmick in this year’s NBA media day.

Unlike the past years when he came trolling the media with different looks, from dreadlocks in 2022 to emo in 2023, Butler surprised everybody by showing up with his game-day look this time.

Butler meant serious business on a contract year and after getting admonished by Heat president Pat Riley over his lack of availability, which contributed to the lack of extension talks this past summer.

“No shenanigans,” Butler told reporters.

“I always want to hoop, always want to compete with my guys,” Butler added. “I hear him (Riley).”

Riley put Butler on notice during his exit press conference in May.

The Heat’s no non-sense top executive repeatedly talked about players’ availability during his 43-minute presser, including blasting the NBA’s 65-game eligibility rule, which he believes sent the players and their agents a message that “it’s OK to miss 17 games” in the regular season.

Riley even shared he had already had a discussion about this with Butler’s agent.

“I see what he’s talking about,” Butler said during the Heat media day. “I’m going to play as many games as I can.”

No Extension for Jimmy Butler

Butler is notorious for lying low during the regular season and switching to “Playoff Jimmy” mode in the postseason. He has never played more than 64 games since moving to Miami in 2019.

The 35-year-old Heat star did not get his extension this summer, making him a flight risk after this season.

Butler holds a $52.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season but is currently extension-eligible and can sign a one-year, $58.6 million extension tucked into the final year of his current deal or a two-year, $112.9 million extension that would void the player option, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

But Riley wants to see Butler shape up first before making a huge financial commitment to the six-time NBA All-Star in his late 30s.

“We don’t have to do that for a year,” Riley told reporters about Butler’s extension while speaking to reporters during his exit interview on May 6. “And so, we have not discussed that internally right now, but we have to look at that, making that kind of commitment.”

After averaging 22.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists to lead the Heat to the NBA Finals in the 2023-24 season, Butler’s averages dropped to 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists last season and he was limited to 60 games due to injuries and personal absence as he mourned the death of a family member. His season ended in their play-in tournament loss to the Philadelphia 76ers with a knee injury.

Jimmy Butler Linked to the Brooklyn Nets

The absence of an extension contract led to speculations about Butler’s future in Miami.

The Brooklyn Nets, who will have the most cap room next summer, have been floated as a potential landing spot for Butler.

Butler “likes Brooklyn, according to sources close to the player,” New York Post’s Brian Lewis wrote on August 31.

Marks projected the Nets to have as much as $70 million in cap space to fast-start their rebuild.

Butler is represented by Bernie Lee, who also handles Nets star Ben Simmons‘ career. Butler and Simmons played together in Philadelphia for one season in 2018-19 following his dramatic exit from Minnesota.