Report: Jimmy Butler was upset Pat Riley publicly challenged him to be available for more games and declined to give him extension

March 24, 2025

According to NBA reporter Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, Jimmy Butler‘s relationship with the Miami Heat went bad after president Pat Riley publicly challenged him to be available for more games and declined to give him an extension.

Butler requested a trade from the Heat and was traded to the Golden State Warriors.

“According to multiple sources, Butler’s relationship with the team took a turn last offseason when Heat president Pat Riley publicly challenged Butler to be available for more games and the Heat declined to give Butler a two-year, $113 million contract extension,” Chiang wrote. “Butler was also unhappy with tweaks made to the Heat’s offense this season that he perceived left him playing in more of a complementary role than previous years.”

Butler appeared in 316 games with the Heat. He averaged 21.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.4 blocks and guided the franchise to the NBA Finals twice.

Miami lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 NBA Finals and fell to the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals.

“We were alright,” Butler said about his Heat tenure. “We didn’t win nothing like we were supposed to. So I don’t know. We made some cool runs. We had some fun. I think that’s all we did.”

Butler agreed to terms on a two-year, $112 million contract extension with the Warriors that runs through the 2026-27 season after the Heat traded him. Golden State is 16-3 with Butler in the lineup.

A Marquette product, Butler has played for the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, Heat and Warriors. The six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA forward has career averages of 18.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.4 blocks.

The Warriors face the Heat in Miami on Tuesday (3/25). Butler, 35, doesn’t care how Heat fans will react to his return to South Beach.

“Not really, don’t make no difference,” Butler said. “I’m a member of the Golden State Warriors. I love that fan base. They showed me a lot of love while I was there. But I’m there to win now. I’m on the opposing team.”