Finally, Jimmy Butler has been traded to the Golden State Warriors. After a long couple of months that felt like it took years off people's lives, Butler's time in Miami is over.
We all know what happened in the end was ugly, but Butler led Miami to two Finals appearances and three Eastern Conference finals.
Now that this mess is over, it's time for Pat Riley to speak to the media about what has transpired over the past few months.
It hasn't been fair to Miami's players and coaches that only they must answer questions about what has happened with Butler and Riley. Riley is part of the reason why this mess was so ugly.
No doubt Butler didn't help this situation at all. But Riley's end-of-the-year press conference started this situation. The Heat have been a first-class organization for years and still is, but how they handled this situation wasn't their best look. At the same time, I understand that it was a difficult situation.
Butler is a grown man, and you can control his comments and actions, but Miami started this mess by not looking to trade Butler in the offseason. It was clear that Miami should have dealt with Butler in the summer. Miami played this game and knew what the ending would be. When Butler isn't happy, it always gets ugly. Miami thought "Heat Culture" could solve the situation that Butler and Riley had started.
Riley contributed to this midseason distraction. He needs to speak to the media and answer questions about what has transpired.
The Heat are a prideful organization that don't typically respond to social media speculation and reports. But in today's world, where players have podcasts and see things on social media. There has been a lot of negative talk about Riley and how Miami treats players on the way out.
Does Riley need to come out with a statement about all former players talking about them? No, but a statement needs to be addressed on what has been happening and send a message to potential players that Miami is still a first-class organization.
Riley doesn't talk to the media much anymore. I'm usually okay with that. But now that the circus is over, Riley owes it to his players, coaches, and fans to speak about what has happened behind the scenes.