Miami Heat president Pat Riley addressed various issues during an end-of-season press conference on Monday, including All-Star forward Jimmy Butler’s behavior off the court, while affirming that Butler won’t be traded this summer.
Butler suffered a knee sprain last month during the Play-In Tournament against the 76ers, sidelining him for the Heat’s subsequent first-round playoff loss to the Boston Celtics in five games. Despite Miami’s surprise Game 2 victory, Butler took to Instagram to taunt the Celtics.
In Game 3, Butler criticized the media during an in-game interview for not acknowledging the Heat’s efforts, confidently stating that Miami would win both the game and the series.
Recently, Butler made even bolder claims, asserting to Rock the Bells that the Heat would have prevailed against the Celtics or the New York Knicks had he been healthy.
“Video this, 1, 2, 3 action,” Butler said. “If I was playing, Boston would be at home, New York would damn sure would f—ing be at home. Josh Hart? Come on man. I love [Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau]. Thibs, I love you baby, but I want to beat you to a pulp.”
In response to Butler’s remarks, Riley expressed disapproval of his star player’s conduct.
“For him to say that, I thought, ‘is that Jimmy trolling? Or is that Jimmy serious?'” Riley said. “If you’re not on the court playing against Boston, or on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut.”
In addition to addressing Butler’s comments, Riley was non-committal when asked about a potential contract extension for the 34-year-old, stating that the team hasn’t internally discussed the matter yet.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Butler’s future, Riley emphasized that the Heat have no intention of trading him this offseason.
While the Heat seem committed to retaining Butler, they may consider other changes following a disappointing season marked by injuries, culminating in an eighth-place finish in the Eastern Conference with a 46-36 record.
