Pat Riley crying over Jimmy Butler’s ugly Miami Heat goodbye shocks fans: “Truly washed”

Jimmy Butler was left 'unfazed' by Pat Riley and his recent antics regarding the chatoic trade move in the NBA.

Pat Riley crying over Jimmy Butler’s ugly Miami Heat goodbye shocks fans: “Truly washed”

Jimmy Butler and Pat Riley

The Miami Heat were involved in a chaotic situation regarding their former star Jimmy Butler‘s future at this NBA trade deadline. However, the Heat president, Pat Riley, and Butler finally came to a solution, sending the star to the Golden State Warriors. Interestingly, before trading Butler, Riley decided to have one last ‘conversation’ with Butler as per ‘The Athletic.’

In addition, to persuading Butler to stay, Riley reportedly broke down in tears during their meeting. But according to The Athletic, Butler thought he was “unhinged” and was even more persuaded to leave the Heat. Notably, Riley broke down in tears and became emotional when discussing his father’s death last year, and Butler did not take it well.

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According to multiple league sources with knowledge of the meeting, tears welled in Riley’s eyes as he attempted to connect with Butler on a human level. Both men had lost their fathers, and Riley’s famed toughness faded in the moment as he thought about Butler mourning his father’s death last season. But Riley’s vulnerability did not land with Butler. The player viewed Riley’s behavior as ‘unhinged,’ a league source close to Butler said. Butler left the meeting more convinced than ever that he needed a new basketball home.

The Athletic’s statement read

In the end, the Heat found an agreement to trade this week. They traded Butler to the Warriors in exchange for Kyle Anderson. Also, Andrew Wiggins, and a top-10 protected 2025 first-round selection in a multi-team transaction. Butler claimed that Riley gave him “unsolicited and unwanted” parenting advice during the discussion. However, team sources maintained that Butler’s perception was incorrect.

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After playing with the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Chicago Bulls, the 35-year-old Butler has spent the last six seasons in Miami. Averaging 24.7 points per game in 64 postseason games while with the Heat, he twice guided the team to the NBA Finals. Also, he seemed to consistently improve his play throughout the postseason. Now, the Heat and their fans will have to move on from their star sooner rather than later.

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Fans left stunned after coming across Pat Riley’s recent antics toward Jimmy Butler

Pat Riley is known for his stern approach in and around the NBA for years. However, he decided to change his stance. This was by connecting on a ‘human level’ when was dealing with a disgruntled Jimmy Butler. However, it did not go down well, with Butler opting to leave for the Warriors. Riley’s ‘approach’ mentioned above was not welcomed by the Heat fanbase.

Instead, they were left stunned by Riley’s antics toward Butler. Many Heat fans in particular took to several social media platforms to put forward their views and opinions regarding Riley and Butler. One fan wrote on X, “Pat Riley is truly washed” while some were left in disbelief regarding the news. Check out some of the reactions below:

Butler averaged 21.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game in 316 Miami regular-season games. However, this season, his stats have somewhat decreased to 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. Nevertheless, the Warriors chose to take a gamble on Butler by including him in their core, which already included Draymond Green and Stephen Curry.