Jimmy Butler’s time at the Miami Heat ended like no one thought it could. A franchise hero who dragged them to two NBA Finals, Butler’s time with Pat Riley’s organization ended with little scope for reconciliation. Things came down to a last-ditch meeting, an emotional face-to-face with Riley which resulted in tears being shed.

At least from the Heat President, as for Butler, the January 7 meeting proved to make things worse. The 35-year-old found Riley ‘unhinged’ and ‘disturbing,’ as he offered him ‘unsolicited and unwanted’ parenting advice. According to reports, Butler became emotional when Pat Riley mentioned his late father, but the overall ordeal made him “more convinced than ever”, to leave the Heat.

Of course, around four weeks later, Butler was traded to the Warriors in exchange for Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, and a protected first-round draft pick. However, the meeting itself was not the final straw, as Butler was already well on his way out.

The player had long come to believe that the organization was not willing to bet on him long-term. His calls for big-game reinforcements did not materialize in recent seasons (read, Damian Lillard), which led to a tumultuous 2024-25 campaign.

Butler started missing flights, skipping practices, and eventually serving multiple suspensions. The Heat fined him relentlessly, adding up to over $3 million in lost pay. Each suspension—first seven games, then two, then five—only widened the divide. It wasn’t discipline; it was a signal. The Heat didn’t want him around.

And while the exit may have been contentious, now that the divorce has happened, Butler has no hard feelings. Butler claimed that his suspensions were a result of him not being wanted: “I mean, you can talk about it whenever we talk about it later on. But I think the suspensions are more because they just didn’t want me to be around the team. It wasn’t anything 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. Yeah, I got some bills. So what, it’s all taken care of.”

About Riley, Butler claimed that he has no thoughts, but more importantly, no hard feelings. “I ain’t got no thoughts. Listen, man, I don’t got nothing to say to nobody. I don’t have no hard feelings. I’m in a better place now for me.”, he said. 

And the player can be forgiven, after all. Now 35, Butler is still looking for his first championship, a dream he may achieve alongside Steph Curry. However, he is well aware of the legacy he leaves behind in Miami, regardless of how things ended.

Jimmy Butler feels for the fans, claiming he was not the ‘cause’ of exit

Butler spoke at length about his Miami exit, on the eve of his return to the Kaseya Center, this time as a Warrior. Asked about the tribute video that his former team made for him, Butler once again took up a relaxed approach: “Will I watch? Yeah, I’ll watch. If they have one, if they don’t. It makes no difference. It really doesn’t.”

It is clear that the player has little expectation from his former team. However, the same cannot be said about the fans, who saw him for 6 years as their talisman.

As Butler carried the Heat through Playoffs every year, he believes even the fans may come to see the organization differently, just as he had: I wonder if they look at the Heat the same way. It ain’t like I was the one who was doing everything. It’s got to be 50-50, maybe 51-49. 49 towards them, 51 towards me. But there’s no way that I was the cause of all of this.

And while the controversy seems to have been left behind, Butler still has his arms raised. A heartbreaking exit, and a lack of a Championship apart, his time at the Heat could not have been much better, apart from the end.