NBA Analyst Blames Pat Riley For Jimmy Butler Saga

Shandel Richardson | Jan 5, 2025

Oct 23, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley addresses the crowd during the Pat Riley Court dedication ceremony at halftime at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Miami Heat team president Pat Riley tends to avoid criticism from local media in South Florida.

But he is taking some heat for the organization's handling of the Jimmy Butler situation. Podcast host Jeff Fox, who has covered the team for the last several years, recently took Riley to task about what transpired the past few days.

Butler has requested a trade after leading the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances since 2019. The Heat responded by suspending Butler for seven games due to conduct detrimental to the team.

"I think the Miami Heat failed Jimmy Butler," said Fox, who works for Remix Sports Media. "You can agree or disagree but Pat Riley did not surround Jimmy Butler with adequate players. I think Pat Riley has also been living off of the Big Three, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and, of course, Dwyane Wade for too long now.

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MORE NEWS ON BUTLER

With the Jimmy Butler trade rumors, many are wondering what the Miami Heat could receive in a package for the disgruntled star.

The Athletic reported the Heat are not looking to acquire a big long-term contract in a trade.

"One thing league sources seem to agree on is that Miami does not want to take back a large amount of long-term money in a Butler deal", the article said. "As a destination organization in a desirable city without state income tax, the Heat are well-positioned to persuade high-end players to join a team that already has strong building blocks in Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Nikola Jović, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and others."

One of Butler's reported preferred destinations are the Phoenix Suns. The Suns would be financially able to make a deal with Miami only if Bradley Beal is included. Beal's $50 million salary this season is hard for many teams to match in a trade. He has one more year along with a player option at the end of his contract. With these new reports, it is implied the Heat have no interest in acquiring Beal.

A potential Butler trade could be similar to the James Harden deal last season. The 76ers moved their star for a trio of veteran players on one-year contracts.

The Heat are still in playoff contention. Their goal is to build around stars Herro and Adebayo. With Butler's contract off the books in a trade, money will open up for the Heat to make a splash this summer if they don't acquire an expensive long-term contract in return.

The trade deadline is Feb. 6.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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