The Warriors parting ways with Andrew Wiggins to land Jimmy Butler in a blockbuster trade earlier this week was an emotional goodbye, and it was no different on the other side of things.
As tensions rose between Butler and the Miami Heat organization, team president Pat Riley gave it one final shot to keep Butler in South Beach during an emotional face-to-face meeting that resulted in Riley shedding tears.
Butler and Riley met on Jan. 7 to see if there was any way to resolve the ongoing feud. Tears fell down Riley’s face as he tried to connect with Butler on a personal level after both men had lost their fathers, The Athletic’s James Jackson, Sam Amick and Jon Krawczynski reported in a joint column published Friday morning, citing multiple sources with knowledge of the meeting.
However, Riley’s emotional attempt failed with Butler, who viewed Riley’s behavior as “unhinged” and “disturbing,” The Athletic reported, citing a league source close to the All-Star forward, and it wound up backfiring on Riley. Butler left the meeting “more convinced than ever” that he wanted to leave Miami and find a new home.
Riley referenced his father’s passing several times during the meeting, offered him “unsolicited and unwanted” parenting advice and ended the meeting telling Butler he loved him, per The Athletic. From Riley’s point of view, the long-time president remained calm during the meeting and let Butler lead the conversation. But when Riley mentioned Butler’s late father, Butler became emotional, team sources told The Athletic.
“It struck a chord,” one team source told The Athletic.
After the meeting, Riley, too, knew it didn’t go as he intended and immediately relayed that to the rest of the Heat brass, team sources told The Athletic. It was at that moment that both sides knew a divorce was inevitable.
