Jimmy Butler has officially left the Miami Heat and is now a member of the Golden State Warriors.
It’s been a long time coming, and many reports said the Heat were happy to see him go.
But a new article from The Athletic sheds light on a conversation between Butler and Pat Riley when things apparently got emotional.
Riley opened up and actually started to cry when speaking with Butler, but his attempts at rebuilding a bond with Butler failed.
“According to multiple league sources with knowledge of the meeting, tears welled in Riley’s eyes as he attempted to connect with Butler on a human level. Both men had lost their fathers, and Riley’s famed toughness faded in the moment as he thought about Butler mourning his father’s death last season. But Riley’s vulnerability did not land with Butler. The player viewed Riley’s behavior as ‘unhinged,’ a league source close to Butler said. Butler left the meeting more convinced than ever that he needed a new basketball home,” the report said, per NBACentral.
Pat Riley reportedly cried during his meeting with Jimmy Butler in an attempt to get him to stay, but Butler reportedly viewed him as “unhinged” and became even more convinced to leave the Heat, per @TheAthletic
“According to multiple league sources with knowledge of the… pic.twitter.com/3tD3gK7Hck
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 7, 2025
This is a surprising move from Riley, who usually keeps his emotions on a tight leash.
Even though he was upset with Butler, he felt a strong connection to him and started to open up about their shared experiences.
Perhaps Riley thought this would create a path for reconciliation and for Butler to remain with the Heat, motivated and ready to play better.
Instead, it did just the opposite, and Butler saw Riley as “unhinged.”
This just made Butler want to leave the Heat even more.
This episode proves just how badly things had become between Butler and Riley.
Their relationship was so broken that even a very intimate moment like this couldn’t repair it.
In the end, there was no fixing this, and it makes sense that Butler is now gone.
NEXT: DeMarcus Cousins Names Who Should Replace Pat Riley
