Jimmy Butler delivers blunt message to Pat Riley…
Jimmy Butler should be on the lookout for his pleasure in Miami, even now that he’s with a new staff.
The Warriors — Butler’s new staff — received the doorways blown off of them by the Heat — Butler’s outdated staff — on a night time that the veteran star returned to South Florida for the primary time since he was traded by Miami to finish a contentious relationship between the 2 sides.
Jimmy Butler appears to be like on during the Warriors’ 112-86 blowout loss to the Heat on March 25, 2025. NBAE by way of Getty Images
And that competition was on show as NBA reporter Taylor Rooks mentioned the dialog she had with Butler earlier than the 112-86 loss, the place he threw a lot of shade at Heat president Pat Riley.
“I have nothing to say to Pat, and Pat better have nothing to say to me,” Rooks mentioned that Butler instructed her.
The feedback shouldn’t come as an excessive amount of of a shock, contemplating how issues ended with the Heat.
Butler requested to be traded in January and made it clear that his time in Miami was going to come to an finish.
The Heat initially publicly acknowledged they’d not commerce Butler, solely to reverse course shortly after.
Butler was additionally suspended 3 times proper earlier than the commerce, with the ultimate one being indefinite.
The saga lastly got here to an finish on Feb. 5 earlier than the NBA commerce deadline when the deal with the Warriors got here collectively.
Miami Heat staff president Pat Riley NBAE by way of Getty Images
Butler completed the sport with 11 factors on 5-of-12 capturing from the sector. Booes may very well be heard whereas his tribute video was performed inside Kaseya Center earlier than some mild applause when he was launched within the startin lineup for Golden State.
He didn’t shake palms with any of his former Heat teammates and shortly went to the locker room after going up to a pair of people sitting alongside the baseline.
Jimmy Butler throws a go round Haywood Highsmith during the second quarter of the Warriors’ loss to the Heat. Getty Images
“I got a lot of love for this city and the fanbase here,” Butler instructed reporters after the sport. ‘The video was nice. I won’t say that there’s a lot of emotion. I went into this factor level-headed and needed to win the sport but it surely didn’t go the best way that we deliberate.”
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