A challenging season for the Miami Heat concluded Friday with team president Pat Riley’s annual end-of-season press conference.
More than a week after the Heat’s first-round playoff elimination, Riley addressed looming questions as Miami’s offseason gets underway. Among them were the franchise’s in-season fallout with Jimmy Butler, the Heat losing their last two playoff games by a combined 92 points and the challenges of building a competitive roster in today’s NBA.
Before getting into the minutiae of roster tweaks, Riley spoke on how much the failed contract negotiations with Butler affected Miami’s season, even though it’s been three months since Butler was traded to the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 6. Specifically, he addressed the impact of his comments that Butler should not speak about whether the Heat could beat certain teams if they’d advanced to the playoffs.
“I don’t think what I said last year really was relevant,” Riley said. “I simply said, softly, ‘No (to the extension).’ And I’m a person that, on all the teams I did coach, you take your loss and you go home, and you’re quiet. There wasn’t trolling back in that day. So, there’s no doubt that what happened with Jimmy had a tremendous impact on our team — there’s no doubt about it. So, the buck stops with me. I’ll take that hit if you want it. What happened during the regular season, I don’t really want to discuss.”
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Since Butler last suited up for the team on Jan. 21, Miami regressed from a top-six hopeful in the East to the last berth in the Play-In Tournament, endured its longest losing streak since 2008 (10 straight games), sported one of the NBA’s worst offenses and routinely dropped close games.
Before the season started, there was faint optimism that Butler and Miami would agree on a long-term contract extension, but internal drama festered into team-induced suspensions and tense media sessions before Butler headed west.
By the playoffs, the Heat, who enjoyed two NBA Finals runs during Butler’s five-plus seasons with the team, were on the wrong side of the most lopsided playoff sweep in NBA history after the top-seeded Cavaliers outscored them by a collective 122 points. In Game 4, the Heat suffered the league’s fourth-worst loss in a playoff game (55 points).
That finish was a far cry from the peak days of the Butler-Heat partnership, which Riley shared fond memories of despite the tense conclusion. After all, Riley, who mentioned being part of many rebuilding/retooling efforts in prior decades, faced similar situations before. Like Butler, stars such as Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning clashed with Riley over long-term commitments, but business always prevailed.
“I remember this about Jimmy,” Riley continued. “I remember the (2020 COVID-19) Bubble. He was hanging over the scorer’s table, exhausted and trying to win a title. I remember that. I have it in my office, that picture. I remember the exit meeting that we had when we were swept by the Bucks the next year. He wasn’t a very happy guy. I don’t even know if he came in. Maybe it was like a minute, and I said, ‘Go home,’ or go wherever you go.
“One of my favorite moments with Jimmy was the rebound he had with nine seconds to go in the third year, against Boston, in the seventh game here. I was sitting with (my wife) Chris, and I remember, ‘We’re gonna win this game, and we’re gonna play Golden State.’ He rebounded it on the left side of the court, he dribbled up left-handed, he crossed over to the right side of the court, he got right to his spot and he raised on a 3. He could’ve taken (Al) Horford, but he probably wouldn’t have gotten a call at that time in the game, especially today, with how they’re refereeing games. … and he just missed a little bit to the left. The next year, the Play-In and the great run we had … he played his a– off, heart out for us.”
But as Riley reminisced about good times, he stood by his decision not to give Butler his desired payday. Although Butler led Miami to one of the most successful stretches in franchise history, the league’s new collective bargaining agreement makes it tougher for teams to maintain expensive cores for the long term.
Beyond the turmoil with Butler, Riley also spoke on the limitations of maximizing a roster with less financial flexibility. He reflected on when LeBron James and Chris Bosh decided to join Dwyane Wade in Miami in 2010, when maximum-level salaries were less robust and granted teams room to secure high-quality role players for cheap.
Now? Today’s NBA is operating under very stringent limitations — frozen draft picks, limited exceptions, first and second apron penalties — so, it’s hard to forecast big-picture moves when penalties may not be far away.
As it stands, the Heat are built around Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, but it’s still unclear what else Miami needs to reclaim contender status. Next season, Adebayo will make about $37 million in salary from the Heat (24 percent of the salary cap), while Herro will be eligible for a max-level contract extension come Oct. 1. Last week, Herro, a first-time All-Star, spoke about his desire to remain in Miami for the long term, but Riley admits he wants to strike a balance between rewarding Herro and prioritizing the franchise’s big-picture needs.
One thing that will help Miami’s books this offseason is using the Warriors’ first-round pick in what should be a very talented draft class. Cost-controlled resources such as that should help Riley with his desired reset for the Heat. Keeping costs reasonable could be the best recourse to keeping Miami’s books sound as it potentially seeks a big name on the trade market.
At different points of the season, Miami received contributions from high-upside rookies (Kel’el Ware, Pelle Larsson), developmental players with promise (Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr.) and continued trusting diamonds in the rough when possible (Duncan Robinson, Dru Smith, Davion Mitchell), but star power is what puts any roster over the top, if everything stays on the rails.
But no matter the challenges the Heat are facing, Riley remained steadfast in trusting his approach to team-building, even if the immediate results may have embarrassed an often proud franchise.
“No, I’m not going to apologize for saying, ‘No (to Butler),’” Riley said. “Not on a contract extension when we didn’t have to. And I don’t think I should. And I will always say to the players, if I was coaching, ‘Keep your mouth shut. I’ll see you next training camp when you get back onto the court.’
“But it’s different today with players. … I’ve been through those kinds of situations before. Even with this team, a couple times. So, it’s over. He’s done. I wish him well. Good luck to him. And I hope, deep down in his heart somewhere, he wishes us well too.”
(Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)