“In Breach of Contract”: Jimmy Butler is Going to Lose a Ton of Money if He Doesn’t Accept Pat Riley’s Terms, Says Lou Williams

The standoff between Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat is still going on, with neither side willing to give an inch to the other. Butler is still serving a suspension for conduct detrimental to the team, and earlier this week he reiterated his desire to be traded.

Lou Williams of the Run It Back podcast sees this as a losing play for Butler, both in terms of how little leverage he has in the situation, and the amount of money he stands to lose by being so stubborn.

“Pat Riley showed his cards already. He expects Jimmy Butler to be back in a Miami Heat uniform. He’s standing still on that.. Pat Riley is going to do what’s best for the Miami Heat organization.. until he sees a trade scenario that benefits them, he’s not entertaining these conversations. So until then, we’re expecting you back in a Miami Heat uniform, and if you don’t show up, you are effectively in breach of contract.”

Butler has already cost himself about $2.4 million because of this seven-game suspension. A recent report by NBA insider Chris Haynes says that the Heat may consider changing the designation of Butler’s suspension from “conduct detrimental to the team” to “refusing to provide services.” This would double that number to about $4.8 million, or just under 10 percent of his $48.8 million salary this season.

It’s becoming clear that Jimmy Butler made a mistake

Pat Riley is not a guy that you want to be at a poker table with. He’s been in every situation throughout his career as an NBA lifer, and this is far from his first rodeo. Right now he’s calling his star player’s bluff and forcing him to make a difficult decision. Butler needs to decide quickly if he’s really willing to go to war, or if this is a battle that he can’t win.

The whole situation is stressing Lou Williams out, and he’s not even the one losing millions of dollars.

“This is a ton of cash that Jimmy Butler is missing out on. I couldn’t imagine being Jimmy Butler and sitting at home and standing firm on this feeling, on this idea that I’m OK to sit out until we figure something out, especially if the team is willing to double down on your fines. This is getting crazy. This is getting out of control. It’s making my hands sweat thinking about losing all that cheese.”

There’s still three weeks until the trade deadline, which means there’s still time for the Heat to move Butler. As Williams said though, Riley is only going to make a move if it’s going to benefit his team. Butler needs to soften his stance or this situation is only going to get worse for him.