The Jimmy Butler saga in Miami came to its merciful end when the Heat agreed to trade him to the Golden State Warriors in a massive five-team trade before Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.
However, the story did not stop there.
On Friday, Feb. 7, The Athletic ran a story about the final months of the Butler saga, including the last meeting between the disgruntled star and Heat president Pat Riley.
“According to multiple league sources with knowledge of the meeting, tears welled in Riley’s eyes as he attempted to connect with Butler on a human level. Both men had lost their fathers, and Riley’s famed toughness faded in the moment as he thought about Butler mourning his father’s death last season. But Riley’s vulnerability did not land with Butler. The player viewed Riley’s behavior as “unhinged,” a league source close to Butler said.
“Butler left the meeting more convinced than ever that he needed a new basketball home. Team sources close to Riley say he promptly sent word that the meeting did not go well and was more motivated than ever to oblige,” The Athletic report said.
Pat Riley Was ‘Unhinged and Disturbing’
Contrasting versions of that emotional, two-hour sit-down meeting between the two alphas were relayed to The Athletic from the lens of Butler and Riley’s camps.
“From Butler’s vantage point, Riley was “unhinged and disturbing,” as a league source close to him described it. More specifically, Butler told those close to him that the longtime team president referenced Butler’s recently deceased father several times during the meeting, offered “unsolicited and unwanted” parenting advice and even shed tears before ending the meeting by telling Butler he loved him,” The Athletic report said.
In the same report, citing team sources, Riley offering parenting advice to Butler “wasn’t the case.” But Riley breaking down in tears happened, according to the team sources interviewed by The Athletic, when he brought the topic of Butler’s late father.
“It struck a chord,” one team source told The Athletic.
Like Butler, Riley also lost his father when he was still playing in the NBA. Riley was 25 and in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers following a trade from San Diego Rockets (now Houston Rockets) when his father, Leon Riley, a longtime minor league baseball player and manager, died.
However, Butler did not see it that way.
After the meeting did not end well, thus began the series of suspensions on Butler and the player threw veiled shots in interviews and social media.
Jimmy Butler Takes One Final Veiled Shot at Pat Riley
While Butler refused to directly speak negative things about his former boss during his Warriors introductory press conference, he took the opportunity to take one final veiled shot at Riley.
“All of that is behind me, moving forward,” Butler told reporters. “I’m happy to be here. I’m happy to be wanted again.”
“I got a feeling I’m [going to] be back, in a big way, too. So I’m smiling. I’ve been going at it, I’ve been training, I’ve been doing everything I’m supposed to be doing. I know that I have my joy back now. I’m in a different situation, different group of guys.”
During his tumultuous final two months with the Heat, Butler spoke about losing his joy playing for the Heat. Interestingly, he said he found it back once he got out of Miami and got what he wanted, which Riley refused to give — a two-year, $112 million extension.
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