There are many layers to the fallout between Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.
Pat Riley’s Role In Heat Drama Provides Cautionary Tale
A Lack Of Communication
Making a recent appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show, NBA insider Chris Haynes explains that the two went months without communication. There were “no texts, no phone calls, no face-to-face meetings” from the time of Heat president Pat Riley’s sharp response to Butler after they were eliminated in the 2024 NBA Playoffs until Jan. 1. On New Year’s Day, Miami “questioned his effort, suggesting they didn’t think he was giving his all.”
Even if Butler hadn’t specifically requested a sit-down with Riley last offseason, the optics look bad.
On the one hand, the accusations that the six-time All-Star hasn’t been giving it all aren’t without merit. Yet, a common refrain is that Butler reserves his energy for playoff runs. Even Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, a beloved three-time NBA MVP, has taken that approach in the past.
Riley has to have wondered at some point whether the issues between he and Butler could be a factor in his seeming detachment though. In a league where players are closer to each other than with executives, he should’ve also wondered what it would do to his reputation. Butler’s abrasive attitude doesn’t help but not many stars are willing to sign somewhere they might be mistreated or misjudged.
A Lack Of Resolve
Another issue at hand is that Butler “has been at odds with the front office over making necessary moves to deliver the Heat their first NBA championship since 2013,” reports The Athletic’s James Jackson.
Specifically, “frustrations over other contenders being more aggressive — the defending Boston Celtics acquiring Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday, the Milwaukee Bucks traded for Damian Lillard — have left Butler disappointed with the Heat seemingly not being as ambitious,” Jackson adds. With the Heat choosing to bring in backup players like Thomas Bryant and Josh Richardson instead, he felt he had to “do the impossible again.”
Frankly, one can hardly blame Butler.
Not only did Miami fail to make a trade for an All-Star, they did so while players like Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal were trying to angle their way to Biscayne Bay. Riley is right to say that Butler is under an obligation to the Heat while he’s under contract. However, the 79-year-old has to look in the mirror. One could argue that, as president, he has even more of a responsibility to help his team.
Micky Arison, who has owned the Heat since 1995, can’t be absolved of responsibility either. If Miami has balked at adding players like Lillard and Beal because of their salary, then he may not be ready to make the sacrifices often needed for a championship. It’s more complex to build a Big 3, as the Heat infamously did with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. As teams like the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers and others have demonstrated though, it’s far from impossible.
They already have Butler. Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro are both All-Star-caliber talents. Yet, none of them are reliable enough as No. 1 options in the regular season. In the playoffs, Butler tends to takeover but Herro usually hasn’t been a worthy sidekick.
In a situation like this, Riley and Arison have two choices.
They can sit on their hands and hope for internal improvement. Or they can pick up the phone and take a swing. With the trade deadline three weeks away, they’re now willing to trade one of their top three players. Ironically, it’s Butler, the one who wanted help in the first place.
It’s the bed that Riley and Arison made and the one they must lay in. It’s also a cautionary tale for other executives, like Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka.
Similar to Riley and Arison, their reservations about making a blockbuster trade have led them down an arduous path. Neither LeBron James or Anthony Davis is likely to make a scene like Butler has. However, they could grow dissatisfied or disenchanted with the Lakers’ lack of resolve.
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