The Miami Heat moved on from the face of their franchise, Jimmy Butler, this season, electing to trade Butler to the Golden State Warriors. Now, Heat president Pat Riley is addressing what unfolded with Butler for the first time since the trade.
“There’s no doubt that what happened with Jimmy had a tremendous impact on our team,” Riley said, according to ESPN. “There’s no doubt about it. So the buck stops with me. I’ll take that hit if you want it.”
Riley said that he is ready to move on and wishes Butler well.
“It’s over,” he said. “I wish him well, good luck to him, and I hope deep down in his heart somewhere he wishes us well too.”
Riley acknowledged that changes needed to be made moving forward for the Heat to get back to title contention. “I think we do have to make changes,” he said. “There’s no doubt there has to be some change.”
It’s fair to wonder if Riley, 80, will be a large part of the Heat’s future, but he said that he has no intentions of departing his role with the organization anytime soon.
“I just turned 80, and I’m proud of it, and 80 is the new 60,” Riley said. “I mean, that’s how I look at it. I feel great. I am competitive as hell.”
It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes Riley to get the Heat back into championship form.
