The Miami Heat have to decide if franchise cornerstone Jimmy Butler will stay with the franchise beyond this season, with the parties expected to not agree on an extension this season. Heat legend Tim Hardaway Sr. explained why Riley has reacted to Butler like this, claiming the Godfather is tired of Butler on ‘All The Smoke.’
“I was waiting on that. I knew something was going to happen. I told some people that Pat was gonna talk this year. He’s [Pat Riley] tired of a lot of things that’s going on with the team. He’s tired of Jimmy Butler… If Jimmy hadn’t said anything about other teams while he wasn’t playing, it would have been alright.”
“I think (Pat) was talking directly to his star like, ‘Yo, you haven’t played a lot of games this year or last year. If you play more than 70 games, we won’t be in the Play-In Games two years in a row. I need you to play, I need you to take care of your body. You need to be in this gym taking care of your body.’”
“All Miami Heat people understood where Pat Riley was coming from. You see what they didn’t do, we’re gonna wait.”
The situation between Butler and Riley started to grow after Riley publicly slammed Butler for making comments against the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks after missing their first-round series due to an injury he sustained in the Play-In Tournament.
This led to Shams Charania reporting that Butler and the Heat are unlikely to agree on a contract extension, opening a pathway for the two-time NBA Finalist to be a free agent in 2025.
“Jimmy Butler, he’s going to play out next season under his current contract with the Heat. I’m told he will not be signing an extension with the Heat or any other team ahead of his opt-out in 2025 free agency and this clears up any notion of a trade demand out of Jimmy Butler.”
The Heat won’t offer Butler an extension until he fulfills various criteria laid down by Riley, with Heat GM Andy Elisburg hoping it challenges Butler to increase his level of play.
With teams like the Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors circling, there’s a real chance that Butler finds himself declining his $52.4 million player option and entering free agency to test his market value. This would lead to an interesting dilemma for the Heat, who already look shaky on the prospect of handing a max extension to a 35-year-old Butler who’s been struggling with availability for the last three seasons.
Butler averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists last season, arguably his worst on the Heat. He wasn’t great for the 2022-23 regular season either, but he justified his value with an incredible Playoff run culminating in an NBA Finals appearance.
Last season, he seemingly regressed and couldn’t buck his injury woes to contribute in their first-round loss to the Boston Celtics.
This is a make-or-break year for both the player and the franchise. The Heat might get worse without Butler but it might be worth the salary relief if Butler has another average season where he struggles to play over 70 games.
