Miami Heat president Pat Riley certainly seems to feel vindicated by his decision to trade Jimmy Butler last year.
Riley addressed the media in his end-of-season press conference Monday, and he clearly suggested that his decision to get rid of Butler was a net positive for the team. He cited the fact that the team won more games this season than they did the season before.
“When you look back on what we did with Jimmy in that trade, we won 37 games last year, for a lot of reasons. Winning six more games this year, it’s an improvement. We did improve from that standpoint,” Riley said.
Pat Riley says the team improved after moving on from Jimmy Butler:
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) April 27, 2026
“When you look back at what we did with Jimmy, in that trade. Winning 37 last year for a lot of reasons and then winning 6 more this year. That’s an improvement” https://t.co/UMvwedOqhl pic.twitter.com/WFIl1VJDQh
Butler and the Heat had an acrimonious breakup that stemmed from Riley’s unwillingness to give the veteran the new contract he was looking for. Butler did not have many nice things to say about Riley after he was traded to the Golden State Warriors, and Riley was just as critical.
The Heat did improve in terms of their win total, but finished 10th in an improved Eastern Conference, which was a step down from 2024-25. Riley acknowledged that further improvement is necessary, but he has clearly never had any second thoughts about the Butler deal.
