The relationship between Jimmy Butler and Pat Riley with the Miami Heat seems to be worsening as the days go by. Last October, the star expressed his desire to stay in Miami, but now just three months later, he’s been slapped with a suspension. While Butler’s trade request came as a shock for many NBA fans, the Warriors forward Draymond Green saw it coming years ago.
During a recent episode of his podcast the ‘Draymond Green Show’, the four-time champion disclosed that Jimmy Butler and Miami both have been ‘tired’ of one another for a couple of years. However, the forward’s competitiveness was the only thing that kept the team from trading him. That is the reason, according to Draymond Green, that Butler will not leave Miami happy in any circumstance:
“One of the two things are gonna happen. I can see Pat Riley sending Jimmy Butler to a team, an organization he absolutely hate, that’s garbage. I could also see Pat Riley saying ‘Hey, go home for the rest of the year, we not trading you anywhere’. But I don’t see it just playing out Jimmy back in good graces with them….I think it’s too far past gone,”
Green believes that the team will lose control as the news is public and the media is involved. In expressing his curiosity about the 7-game span of Butler’s suspension, the Warriors star also announced that this is the end of the relationship.
“I’ve actually been hearing the last couple of years they were kinda tired of Jimmy. Jimmy was kinda tired of them”@money23green gets honest about the upcoming split between Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat pic.twitter.com/XYL52wh3i0
— The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis (@DraymondShow) January 9, 2025
Green might be on the mark here, as Butler making the trade request public may have touched Riley’s nerve which led to the suspension. Hence, it will not be a surprise if the president makes matters worse for Butler. The Heat has time to move Butler till the first week of February, considering the trade deadline.
Jimmy Butler hoped for the Warriors but the team had other choices
As soon as Butler’s trade request went public, many teams lined up to make an offer for ‘Jimmy Buckets’. Surprisingly, Green had the chance to team with the star as, reportedly, Butler himself expressed the desire to play for the Golden State Warriors. However, now it seems that the Dubs are not showing interest in signing the forward.
Ahead of the Warriors and Heat game this week, on NBA Today, ESPN reporter Marc Spears revealed that the Dubs are looking for a ‘bigger’ player than Butler. The team is currently interested in adding size to their already offense-oriented roster. Spears named multiple centers and big men, but Butler was not mentioned.
“I’m hearing that the Warriors literally want to go bigger than Jimmy Butler…they’re one of the most undersized teams in the league. So they’re trying to get a big guy to go alongside Draymond Green. People on their list include Nikola Vucevic…Walker Kessler, John Collins..’” Marc Spears said.
“I’m hearing that the Warriors literally want to go bigger than Jimmy Butler—they’re one of the most undersized teams in the league. So they’re trying to get a big—Right now the Warriors seem much more interested in adding a big to go along Draymond than another SG.” @MarcJSpears pic.twitter.com/ZZJOia28uG
— Dru (@dru_star) January 7, 2025
The doors into the Bay seemed to have closed for Butler, but the star still has multiple options. As the forward is not intrigued by teams such as the Memphis Grizzlies, the Phoenix Suns are likely to win the race to land the player.
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