Heat's Pat Riley 'living in the present' amid Jimmy Butler contract situation

10/17/2024 06:35 PM

After the Miami Heat’s win over the Atlanta Hawks in the preseason home finale win, 120-111, Jimmy Butler had an impressive game scoring 24 points on an efficient eight for 11 shooting. While Heat’s president Pat Riley was non-committal on Butler’s contract extension earlier in the year, the question was revisited Thursday about a possible deal with the star.

The Heat under Butler has had a successful five years where the team saw two NBA Finals appearances, but not a championship, as the 35-year old was seeking a new extension this past offseason. Fast forward to the present where a deal was not met in the summer and there could be an opportunity Butler leaves the Heat next offseason, but when Riley was asked about the possibility of that, he didn’t seem too worried according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

"I wouldn't want to," Riley said. "He's going to have the ability to opt and we're going to have the ability to extend. So I'm trying to get all that thinking out of our heads because it's living in the present moment and playing basketball. So if there's something that's going to drag me down or him down because of that, then we're not going to perform at a certain level. But I think he's embraced exactly where he's at, I think he understands where we're at."

Heat’s Pat Riley on possible conversations with Jimmy Butler on a deal

Butler was initially seeking a two-year extension worth $113 million and can still get it if Miami decides to sign him by the deadline of June 30. In terms of conversations between the two, Riley would say that he hasn’t had too many with Butler about a possible new deal.

"I haven't had a lot of conversation with Jimmy about it," Riley said of Butler's contract status. "I've talked to his agent at times. … I don't have to sit down and have these meetings with [Butler] any more. He's a very intelligent man."

Riley was originally non-committal last May in his end of season press conference where he cited player availability as a main resistant along with the rest of the team. The star hasn’t played more than 64 games with the Heat in his stint which on the team’s media day, Butler understood Riley’s point on staying healthy and proving he’s a part of winning.

Heat’s Pat Riley on the passing of Jimmy Butler’s father 

However, last season was a tough one to say the least for the Marquette product as besides going through various injuries including missing the postseason with an MCL sprain, Butler also had to deal with the passing of his father.

"He had a very difficult year last year," Riley said via The Miami Herald. "We all knew about it. It takes its toll. So since 2020 to now, I've lost two family members very close to me and those are the things we go through personally. We don't let anybody know about it, but it does have an impact on how you produce and how you perform. Jimmy had a tough year last year from a personal standpoint."

Now, Butler is motivated to head into this season and showcase his super unique talents once again as Wednesday’s aforementioned performance was an explosive step in the right direction as said by Riley.

"What I saw last night and what I hope to see in the future this year is somebody that has a chance to lead us to that place where we can play for it," Riley said Thursday of Butler. "That's all you want."

At any rate, the Heat play their final preseason game Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies in preparation for the regular season opener on Oct. 23 agains the Orlando Magic.

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