Nobody wants to be the bad guy.
That much has been made clear as Jimmy Butler and Pat Riley have traded jabs over the last six months, and Riley’s latest statement could force Butler to revert to old maneuvers to get his way.
To quickly catch you up: Butler wants a new contract. Riley in the spring told reporters at his annual press conference that he won’t entertain a contact extension and instead challenged Butler to be more available during the season. Butler has been mostly available until his latest stomach illness, but the Heat have yet to budge on their reluctance to offer a contract extension. Butler’s representation has made it clear that Butler intends to opt out and sign a max contract next summer. It was then reported, first by ESPN and then elsewhere, that Butler would be open to playing for another team and would prefer to get traded before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. All of this, presumably, to know where his next contract is coming from.
Which leads us to Riley’s dramatic statement on Thursday. As the distraction of Butler’s future lingered around the team, Riley and the Heat announced how they plan to handle Butler’s short-term future.
“We usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches. Therefore, we will make it clear – We are not trading Jimmy Butler.”
Will the statement quiet the noise? Doubtful. As long as Butler’s situation remains unresolved, people will speculate and reporters will do their dutiful reporting.
But this wasn’t a statement aimed at Shams Charania or any other reporter. This was aimed at Butler. It might as well have said, “Stop leaking things. We’re not going to be pressured into trading you.”
There’s plenty of reason for the Heat to trade Butler. He’s 35 years old, and the Heat have been only an average regular-season team over the last three years. As their competition in the East got better, their championship window has closed. It makes sense to trade Butler to a contender and begin retooling around Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro.
But for as much as the NBA is a business, it’s one that trades in emotions. Trading a franchise icon responsible for shepherding one of the great eras in Heat history isn’t easy.
Had the Heat been offered a trade they liked, maybe Butler is already gone. But they weren’t, and now they must navigate the rest of the season. Butler, meanwhile, is left questioning where his next contract will come from.
So far, Butler has avoided making a show. He played in most of the games before this latest setback, said the right things to the media and used backchannels to express his desire for a new contract. But his attempt to gain leverage has failed so far.
The Heat don’t buy that there’s a max-level market for Butler in free agency. The reported destinations like Dallas, Golden State and Phoenix can’t offer the Heat a package attractive enough to warrant trading their star mid-season. Riley has called Butler’s bluff at every turn and so far has had the upperhand.
Will the statement force Butler to make a heel turn and save Riley from looking like the bad guy? Maybe.
Because Butler’s only remaining move might be to become even more of a distraction, just as he did on his way out of Minnesota, when he openly challenged teammates at practice, sat down for a surprise interview with Rachel Nichols and missed games. Eventually, Butler got his way and was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
So far, Butler has avoided such drastic measures, but we know he’s capable of putting on a dramatic show.
For Butler to get his way – whether that’s a trade or a contract extension – he might have to play the only move he has left on the board. He might have to be the bad guy.