Pat Riley Says Heat Will Not Trade Jimmy Butler

Miami Heat president Pat Riley told NBA reporters that he will not trade Jimmy Butler. 

The Heat lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2024 playoffs in five games.

Butler, one of the best players in the NBA, didn’t play because of a knee injury. 

Pat Riley says Jimmy Butler will not be made available for trades. https://t.co/0xo1K59FcV

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 6, 2024

Butler is extension-eligible this summer. The All-Star will make $48.8 million next season. He has a player option worth $52.4 million for the 2025-26 season. 

Butler averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists this season while shooting 49.9% from the field, 41.4% from beyond the arc and 85.8% from the free-throw line. He turns 35 in September. 

Riley on Jimmy Butler's extension: "We don't have to do that for a year. We have not discussed that internally right now but we have to look at making that kind of commitment."

— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) May 6, 2024

Butler joined the Heat in the summer of 2019 via a sign-and-trade deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Miami lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 NBA Finals, lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2021 playoffs, lost to the Celtics in the 2023 conference finals, lost to the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals and lost to the Celtics in this year’s playoffs. 

The Heat were 26th in the NBA in points per game, third in points per game allowed and 16th in net rating this season. They went 46-36 in the regular season.

Over the weekend, Butler said the Heat would have defeated the Celtics had he played. It appears Riley didn’t like those comments. 

Riley, asked about Butler trolling Celtics when he couldn't play in the series: "If you're not on the court playing, you should keep your mouth shut."

— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) May 6, 2024

Butler has career averages of 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists with the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sixers and Heat. He’s made six All-Star teams, five All-NBA teams and five All-Defensive teams.

Butler’s story is pretty incredible. When he was 13, Butler was kicked out of his house by his mother. He stayed with friends as long as he could and usually moved into a new place every week.

The summer before his senior year of high school, Butler became friends with a ninth-grader named Jordan Leslie. Leslie began inviting Butler to his house to play video games and to stay the night, and once Leslie’s mother found out Butler didn’t have a place to stay, she took him in for good.