On Monday, Jimmy Butler received a direct communication from Pat Riley, to which Butler—through his agent—responded with his own comments.
Riley hinted that if Butler asked for a max contract, the Heat would anticipate seeing more of the forward because, as the Heat president stated, they would only want to devote such resources to a player who is “available every single night.” Riley’s remarks follow a season in which Butler participated in 60 games; since 2016–17, the season he spent as a member of the Chicago Bulls, Butler has not participated in more than 65 games during the regular season.
Bernie Lee, the agent for Butler, responded by pointing out that the Heat’s season-ending performance had fallen short of expectations and that all aspects needed to be scrutinized to further Butler’s singular objective of winning a championship.
According to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, Lee stated, “Coming out of this season, a year in which the team didn’t either have the same success in the year previous and in Miami’s case didn’t return to and win the Finals, everything has to be examined and it will be.” And the required adjustments will be made because that is how Jimmy has built his whole career—not because anybody else said so or to satisfy anyone on the outside.
The only thing left for him to accomplish is to win a championship. Exactly.
There appears to be some friction between Butler and the Heat despite his desire for a two-year maximum agreement. There had been rumors of tension between the two groups, and Riley sounded rather unhappy about some remarks Butler had made recently.
Riley makes a valid argument when he says Butler must be available to sign a new contract. This is especially relevant given that Butler struggled with injuries this year, missing the entire postseason as a result.
