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MIAMI – There was no turning back. Warriors star Jimmy Butler stated Monday after practice at Barry University, one day before his first game back in Miami against his former team, the Heat, that even if he and team president Pat Riley sat down immediately after last season and he was offered a contract extension, he still would have wanted to eventually move on.
Butler, who turned 35 years old in September, knew which direction he wanted to go in his career. He also had an indication of where the Heat were headed after their first-round NBA playoff exit without him.
The Heat suspended Butler three times during the 2024-25 NBA season before trading him to the Warriors on Feb. 6, and some bills still are being sent his way.
When, and if, Butler sees Riley on Tuesday at the Kaseya Center, anger won’t be his first emotion. No animosity. No frustration.
Nothing, according to Butler.
“I don’t got no thoughts,” Butler said. “I won’t say nothing. I got nothing to say to nobody. No hard feelings. I’m in a better place now for me. Continued success to those guys over there.”
None of this is new to Butler. Tuesday won’t be the first time he plays a former team. It’ll be the fourth. This just feels heightened because of the success Butler had in Miami, leading the Heat to three Eastern Conference finals and two NBA Finals, as well as how his departure once again was surrounded by drama.
He has maintained his first game back at his old arena will be nothing more than another game on the schedule, continuing to show his love for Heat fans.
Staying stuck in the past is a decision Butler refuses to let himself sink into and be a part of. Let the outside speculate. The 14-year NBA veteran knows the legacy he made in Miami and that it can never be taken away.
“This is basketball,” Butler said. “It’s very simple. I don’t have all the emotions everyone thinks I’m going to have. It is what it is. I realize that I had some great years here. I built some incredible bonds with some individuals within the organization, in this city – hell, in the state of…
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Publish date : 2025-03-24 15:20:00
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