Following the Miami Heat‘s elimination, Jimmy Butler caused quite a stir when he claimed that, had he been healthy, the Heat would have beaten the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.
Jimmy Butler has been in the NBA for 13 seasons. He’s played for 4 different franchises. He’s been to the NBA Finals twice, going 0-2.
His team when he plays in the NBA Playoffs in 59-58 with an overall playoff record of 61-67. These aren’t hypotheticals.
Pat Riley did not take kindly to Butler’s words. During his May 6 exit interview, Riley called out Butler, telling him that he shouldn’t talk under the circumstances.
Pat Riley on Jimmy Butler’s comments that the Heat would’ve won over Boston if he were healthy… “you should keep your mouth shut”
“For him to say that, I thought, is that Jimmy trolling, or is that Jimmy [being] serious? If you’re not on the court, playing against Boston, or you’re not on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut in your criticism of those teams,” Riley said, per WPLG Local 10 Sports’ X account.
Riley has always been one to speak his mind, and times like this are no different. The Heat could have thrived under certain hypothetical scenarios with Burler on the court, but no matter what, the fact remains that they didn’t happen. Instead, the Heat were eliminated in the first round and have to regroup for the 2024-25 season.
Pat Riley Discusses Jimmy Butler Extension
During that same press conference, Riley talked about the Heat potentially extending Butler. Riley gave the full details on where they’re at with Butler’s extension.
“We don’t have to do that for a year,” Riley said about Butler’s extension during his exit interview. “And so, we have not discussed that internally right now, but we have to look at that, making that kind of commitment.”
Riley said that time will tell on what they’ll do about Butler’s next contract.
“We haven’t made a decision on it,” Riley added. “And we really haven’t really in earnest, discussed it. So we’ll just see what happens.”
The Heat brought Butler in circa 2019, and since then, he has made good on their commitment to him. He’s guided the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances. The only free agent acquisition who has accomplished more than Butler was LeBron James.
Butler will enter the second year of a three-year, $146 million contract. The Heat have gotten plenty of bang for their buck for their investment in the six-time All-Star. At the same time, by the time they start negotiations, Butler will be 35 years old. His age may be a determining factor in whether the Heat want to keep him.
Rivals See a Potential Jimmy Butler-Sixers Trade: Report
Before joining the Heat, Butler’s last team was the Philadelphia 76ers. NBA Insider Marc Stein reported that some NBA teams believe the Sixers will try to orchestrate a reunion with Butler. However, such a move would require multiple moving parts.
“More than one rival team out there has likewise wondered whether Philadelphia, in the wake of its first-round exit, will mount a trade run at Butler to reacquire Joel Embiid’s close friend if the 76ers are unsuccessful in using their projected $50-plus million in salary cap space to acquire presumed top target Paul George,” Stein wrote in a May 5 story.
The Sixers have cap space this offseason, and they have been tied to George. If the Heat don’t want to pay Butler moving forward, there could be a scenario where Butler gets sent back to the Sixers.
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Heat’s Pat Riley Calls Out Jimmy Butler: ‘Keep Your Mouth Shut’