Knicks Responsible For Jimmy Butler, Heat Divorce?

The New York Knicks may have an interesting role in the deteriorating relationship between Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.
Nov 24, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) reacts during the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Nov 24, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) reacts during the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The New York Knicks may have doused the Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler era from within.

Many current NBA headlines center on the deteriorating relationship between Butler and the Heat, namely his apparent war attrition with team president Pat Riley. The latest blow came on Monday when Butler was issued a third suspension, this one said to be indefinite as the team ponders its next move.

Butler's South Beach groups have had a checkered history against the Knicks, most of which stems from a 2023 conference semifinal series that Miami won in six games. The Knicks, however, may have inadvertently thawed what the Heat had going, by Butler's own invocation, no less.

Butler's career with Miami had been going along relatively swimmingly, as the two sides collaborated on two runs to the NBA Finals before bowing in last season's opening round. Butler did not play in the five-game loss to Boston due to an injury but that didn't stop him from trash-talking potential postseason foes shortly after elimination, saving some particularly harsh words for the Knicks.

Speaking with LL Cool J's hip-hop station Rock the Bells, Butler claimed to "love" Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, his former supervisor in Minnesota, even though he wanted to "beat [him] to a pulp." When reminded of Josh Hart's defense, Butler rhetorically asked "the f*** that mean to me?"

Riley took issue with Butler's comments in his postseason press conference, remarking that the latter would be well-advised to "keep [his] mouth shut" unless he was on the floor. Earlier this month, Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported that Butler and Riley's relationship "has yet to recover" since the exchange.

Butler and the Heat did not agree to an extension before the offseason let out it was anything but a Merry Christmas for either side: both Butler and management traded barbs before the latter resorted to suspensions. Miami announced that Butler will be suspended for at least five games, which takes up their remaining docket before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

While they're far from directly responsible for ending Butler's reign of terror in Miami, it's still intriguing to see the Knicks play an unintentionally instigating role in one of the most dramatic stories on the Association's gossip scene. Having dealt with Butler in prior coaching stops in Chicago and Minnesota, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau was offered a chance to briefly address the South Beach situation.

Jimmy Butler
Apr 2, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) dribbles the basketball as Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) defends during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

“I love Jimmy, but I’m not his coach,” Thibodeau said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “I’ve got enough to worry about here.”

The Knicks will face the Heat, who will likely be Butler-free, on March 2 in South Beach. In the meantime, they'll host the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks