{"id":14553,"date":"2024-12-26T03:58:52","date_gmt":"2024-12-26T03:58:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=14553"},"modified":"2024-12-26T03:58:52","modified_gmt":"2024-12-26T03:58:52","slug":"report-jimmy-butler-was-rubbed-the-wrong-way-by-pat-rileys-comments-at-may-press-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=14553","title":{"rendered":"Report: Jimmy Butler was rubbed the wrong way by Pat Riley\u2019s comments at May press conference.."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Jimmy<\/p>\n

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Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The Jimmy Butler saga continues to unfold. After weeks of speculation about the potentially damaged relationship between the 35-year-old and the\u00a0Miami Heat, a breakup appears imminent.<\/p>\n

The news of Butler\u2019s impending departure from Miami has engulfed headlines in the early leg of the season. However, the tension dates back to last season, when the Heat fought for playoff supremacy without their All-Star forward.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0the\u00a0Miami Herald<\/em>, Butler was \u201ccaught off guard\u201d by Heat president Pat Riley last postseason. The executive chided him for saying that the\u00a0Boston Celtics\u00a0and\u00a0New York Knicks wouldn\u2019t have advanced in the postseason if he were available to play.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor him to say that, I thought, \u2018Is that Jimmy trolling, or is that Jimmy serious?\u2019\u201d Riley said during a May press conference. \u201cIf you\u2019re not on the court playing against Boston or on the court playing against the\u00a0New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It was also reported that the six-time All-Star was disgruntled with the Heat after the team didn\u2019t publicly deny a Dec. 10 report that said he wanted to be traded.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccording to a source, Butler was also disappointed that the Heat did not publicly deny a Dec. 10 ESPN report that Miami was open to trading him,\u201d wrote Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

ESPN\u2019s Shams Charania reported on Wednesday that Butler prefers to be traded ahead of February\u2019s trade deadline. He also intends to decline his player option for the 2025-26 NBA season.<\/p>\n

\u201cButler is open to trade destinations such as the\u00a0Phoenix Suns,\u00a0Golden State Warriors,\u00a0Dallas Mavericks\u00a0and\u00a0Houston Rockets, league sources said,\u201d Charania\u00a0wrote. \u201cMultiple teams have called the Heat to express interest in Butler in the past two weeks, but Miami has not shown urgency in talks as the franchise monitors the first half of the season, those sources said.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Trading Butler may feel like the only option for the Heat amid the seemingly deteriorating relationship between the team and their star player. However, teams that are not on Butler\u2019s wish list may be hesitant to pull the trigger on a trade for the five-time All-NBA forward knowing that he may be a rental.<\/p>\n

This season, Butler is averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in 20 appearances. He will be 36 years old before the start of the 2025-26 regular season and is past his prime. That said, he remains one of the league\u2019s premier postseason performers when healthy and could draw huge interest from title-contending teams looking for one more piece to put them over the top.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports The Jimmy Butler saga continues to unfold. After weeks of speculation about the potentially damaged relationship between the 35-year-old and the\u00a0Miami Heat, a… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14554,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\nReport: Jimmy Butler was rubbed the wrong way by Pat Riley\u2019s comments at May press conference.. - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=14553\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Report: Jimmy Butler was rubbed the wrong way by Pat Riley\u2019s comments at May press conference.. - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports The Jimmy Butler saga continues to unfold. 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