NBA Trade Rumors: Pat Riley played hard ball and might’ve got burned
NBA Trade Rumors: After playing hardball with the Minnesota Timberwolves and not landing Jimmy Butler, did Pat Riley get burned at his own game?
A couple weeks ago, it almost seemed like a forgone conclusion that Jimmy Butler was going to be traded to the Miami Heat.
However, when it was time to complete the deal, Tom Thibodeau decided to make additional (and ultimately unrealistic) demands which led to the two sides pulling away from the table. Now, Butler has played two games with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Heat are licking their wounds trying to erase the PR damage that was done.
It got so bad that Pat Riley had to speak to his players, according to reports, calming the notion that there was a chance they could be moved. In his words, which he reportedly told the players, Riley is “pulling the plug” on making a trade for Butler.
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"[via South Florida Sun-Sentinel]In another rare confirmation of Miami Heat trade negotiations, a team spokesman confirmed shortly before Thursday night’s game that Heat President Pat Riley recently told the team’s players he was “pulling the plug” on trade negotiations regarding disgruntled Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jimmy Butler."
Before you jump to any conclusions, it should be noted that Riley is as cutthroat as they come and it wouldn’t be all that surprising if he turns around and still makes a deal in the next few days or weeks. After all, this is something that needed to be said.
There was an elephant in the room after how public the negotiations between the Wolves and Heat got, and Riley needed to address it. He did, and told the media that he was no longer going to pursue Jimmy Butler.
Honestly, all we can do now is take Riley at his word. And for the rest of this article, let’s assume that he’s sincere with this recent message. The Heat are out of the Butler sweepstakes.
If so, this is a mistake. And one that will not only cost the Heat on the court, but also when it comes to their fans. Miami was moments away from landing Butler. Now, they have to settle for what reportedly was off the table in those same trade talks – a young core of Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow and Bam Abedayo.
And while that sounds good during the pre-season and in any fan’s mind, the regular season has officially started and the 1-2 Heat, led by Richardson, doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Richardson, by default, is being force-fed to be the No. 1 option. And through three games, it’s been rough. And it absolutely feels forced. He’s averaging 18 points, four rebounds and three assists, but on an unimpressive 36 percent shooting from the field and 30 percent shooting from 3-point range.
Bam has been impressive in spurts, but is only logging 18 minutes per contest because he’s stuck behind Hassan Whiteside and Kelly Olynyk. Winslow has been injured, and hasn’t even seen his first real action this year.
Oh, and the team is 1-2 and continues to struggle with the same issues it had last season – punished by opposing point guards, and struggling to finish games with no clear closer.
The team is clearly struggling and lacks identity. Butler would’ve been the cure to many of this team’s same issues. But instead of landing Jimmy B, the team is essentially the same unit it was last season in a conference that likely got better (despite losing LeBron James).
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Miami could very well still land Butler later in the season, and perhaps the biggest blame for not landing him yet falls on Minnesota, but nevertheless this situation feels like another one that just fell through the hands of Pat Riley.
Riley played hardball, perhaps too hard, and might’ve got burned. This one, though, hurts more because of how close the Heat were.