As the trade talks involving the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler continue, the news has caught the attention of many within the basketball world. Former player Gilbert Arenas has spoken about Pat Riley and Butler before, but this time made a bold prediction regarding the job held by the legendary executive.
Arenas would speak on how the drama with Butler and Miami started when Riley told the star to “keep your mouth shut” about the team beating the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks if he was healthy in the playoffs.
“Pat Riley did it first when he publicly said than ‘shut up,’ that started it right there,” Arenas said.
Another former player Nick Young was on his show “Gil’s Arena” and asked why didn’t Riley get fined which prompted Arenas to tell him that the return in a trade will act as one. He would then “guarantee” that Riley will “step down in the next 24 months.”
“He’s getting fined because Jimmy is leaving,” Arenas said. “What he’s getting back is the fine. The Doritos and the mother f—-ing Lays Chips he’s going to get back as players, that’s what he’s getting back, that’s going to be the fine. He’s going to step on down, I guarantee you he steps down in the next 24 months.”
Gilbert Arenas on Pat Riley’s treatment of Jimmy Butler and others
As mentioned before, this wouldn’t be the first time Arenas spoke on the news as he commented when the Heat suspended Butler for seven games due to “conduct detrimental to the team.” He would accuse Riley of making himself bigger than the players which Arenas would disagree with.
“You can’t pretend you’re bigger than LeBron…Jimmy comes gets you to the chip, if he tells you bring me one more star, bring him one more star,” Arenas said. “For you to pretend that you are the Heat Culture and you can do this? You’re lying because when he’s leaves, nobody’s coming there, you got South Beach in your favor, and you treat it like it’s a f*cking prison!”
Gilbert Arenas goes off on Pat Riley for thinking he’s bigger than his players
“You can’t pretend you’re bigger than LeBron! LeBron leaves, this ship crashes! Jimmy comes gets you to the chip, if he tells you bring me one more star, mf bring him one more star… Nobody’s coming… pic.twitter.com/b3PirVCSp9
— Emo Jimmy (@HeatCulture13) January 6, 2025
Besides Arenas, current Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green made his own prediction about how Riley will either trade Butler to an undesired destination or keep him home.
“I could see Pat Riley sending Jimmy Butler to an organization that he absolutely hates, that’s garbage,” Green said Wednesday. “I could also see Pat Riley saying, hey go home for the rest of the year, just go home, we’ll pay you that’s fine, we’re not trading you anywhere, I could see that scenario as well but the scenario I don’t see, I don’t see it just playing out with Jimmy back in the good graces with them, and Jimmy just being who Jimmy is, I don’t see that, I think it’s too far past gone.”
At 18-17 and sixth in the East, the Heat is on a six-game road trip where they next face the Utah Jazz Thursday.
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