Will Jimmy Butler be traded this summer? That’s one of the burning questions as the NBA Playoffs rage on.
The Miami Heat aren’t a franchise that likes to rebuild, especially with Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra at the controls, and that’s not expected to change any time soon.
Yet, now many around the NBA are wondering how much longer the Jimmy Buckets experiment will last in Miami. Butler’s recent comments have already caused a stir. Here’s what Butler recently said:
“If I was playing, Boston would be at home. New York damn sure would be at home.”
Jimmy Butler claiming Miami Heat would be heading to NBA Finals, if he were healthy
Yet, Heat team president Pat Riley didn’t take kindly to Butler’s bold claims.
“For him to say that, I thought, ‘Is that Jimmy trolling, or is that Jimmy serious?’ If you’re not on the court playing against Boston, if you’re not on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut in your criticism of those teams.”
Miami Heat team president Pat Riley on Jimmy Butler’s recent comments
Related: NBA playoff predictions: Bracket picks & 2024 Finals champion
Pat Riley’s comments on Jimmy Butler opening eyes around NBA
Now, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, Riley’s comments are making waves around the NBA, with many wondering if Butler’s relationship with the team has been damaged.
“He could have said that a little bit more politely. Like even if you’re tongue-in-cheek, you could have been like, you know, I just wish he wouldn’t have said anything. He wasn’t available. He was like, no, I’m going to hit him with the jab and then the right hook and be pretty blunt about it. That is that opened a lot of eyes around the NBA. Let’s put it that way. My phone was lighting up during the Riley press conference. They are maybe ground zero for the NBA offseason starting right now.”
ESPN’s Zach Lowe on Jimmy Butler/Pat Riley
Butler doesn’t take kindly to being slighted, yet this is also Pat Riley, who’s known for being blunt. We can’t be too surprised by his response to Butler’s bold claims.
Riley clearly didn’t appreciate his star player giving other teams future bulletin board material, and while we haven’t heard from Butler since his boss’s comments went public, it’s possible he’s willing to brush them off too. If not, maybe the idea of the Heat trading Butler is more realistic than we think.
Related: 7 ideal Jimmy Butler trade landing spots this summer, including Knicks, Lakers, and 76ers