Jimmy Butler has no interest in exchanging pleasantries with Pat Riley.
Butler had a bad season with the Miami Heat this year. He demanded a trade after not receiving the contract extension from the team he was seeking during the offseason. Miami initially refused to trade him, which made for an awkward situation. The Heat suspended Butler three times before finally agreeing to trade him to the Golden State Warriors prior to the deadline last month.
Butler clashed with Riley and still is upset with the longtime Heat executive.
TNT televised Tuesday’s game between the Warriors and Heat in Miami, and reporter Taylor Rooks passed along a tough quote Butler shared regarding Riley.
“I have nothing to say to Pat, and Pat better have nothing to say to me,” Rooks says Butler told her.
"I have nothing to say to Pat, and Pat better have nothing to say to me"
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 25, 2025
Jimmy Butler had this to say to @TaylorRooks ahead of his return to Miami 🫣 pic.twitter.com/RSdPUeBamA
That is a rough quote.
Butler’s Warriors and Riley’s Heat have gone in different directions since the trade. The Warriors had gone 16-3 in games with Butler prior to Tuesday’s contest at Kaseya Center. Miami has gone 5-17 since the deal.
There was even a strange tipping point in the relationship between Riley and Butler that occurred during a January meeting between them.
Riley had acquired Butler in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019. They reached the conference finals three times with him and ended up in the NBA Finals twice.
