Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler returns to southern Florida to take on his former team, the Miami Heat, on Monday night. During his media availability before Monday's game, Butler reflected on his exit from the Heat while setting the record straight on his suspensions and his differences with team president Pat Riley.
Butler wanted out of Miami long before his deal with the Warriors. Still, a reporter asked if things would have been different if Butler had sat down with Riley after last season, per The Athletic's Anthony Slater's X, formerly Twitter.
“No,” Butler said, suggesting the tension reached the point of no return last April/May. “Pretty much, yeah. I think I knew in which direction I was going. Nobody ever asked me, though. So, ya'll all just got to jump to assumptions and conclusions.”
Following the Heat suspensions, are you surprised how it all played out throughout 2024-25?
“No, not necessarily,” Butler replied. “You can talk about it whenever we talk about it later on, but I think the suspensions were more because they just didn't want me to be around the team. It wasn't anything that I actually did because I didn't do anything too drastic to deserve X amount of games being suspended. But it is what it is.”
Still, how will Butler react to seeing Riley again?
“I got no thoughts,” Butler said. “I don't [have] anything to say to nobody. I have no hard feelings. I'm in a better place now.”
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Jimmy Butler says ‘Heat Culture' narrative is overused
Jimmy Butler (22) walks off the court after greeting court-side friends following the victory over the San Antonio Spurs at Kaseya Center
Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Warriors forward Jimmy Butler didn't hold back on Heat Culture and its narrative being overused. Butler didn't slight the organization. However, he does believe it's simply buying into a winning mindset, per The Athletic's Anthony Slater.
“There was some foundation to it in the sense of the work and all that stuff, which is great,” Butler said. “I’m not saying it in a bad way, but I think it’s a little bit, like, overused talking about the ‘Heat Culture.’ It is a great organization.”
The Warriors will face the Heat on Tuesday.