Pat Riley is notorious for pushing superstars out of Miami, but Jimmy Butler’s instant impact on the Golden State Warriors has placed a magnifying glass on the Heat president. He’s evicted a lot of players over the years, and one of them has finally spoken about it. Antoine Walker, who was forced from South Beach way back in 2007, took to Run It Back to call Riley out.
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Walker talked about how Riley’s fallouts with star players always end up going public and criticized his former coach for his inability to keep things private in such situations.
“One thing about Pat, you’ll notice this,” he said. “When he’s done with you, he does it publicly.”
The former power forward further criticized Riley’s decision making when it came to Jimmy Butler and said he didn’t agree with the fines Butler was handed in his last month with Miami. He claimed such acts only painted the six-time All-Star in a bad light.
Walker then mentioned his relief at seeing Jimmy thriving in Golden State. “I’m so happy Jimmy is playing well in Golden State and kind of turned their season around,” he added.
D-Wade, Shaq, Jimmy Butler…Antoine Walker says when it’s time to go, Pat Riley will let even the best Heat players know 😬 pic.twitter.com/TCSkXGPLNT
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) March 17, 2025
Of course, Butler’s presence in Oakland has been nothing short of revolutionary. They’re 14-2 since the addition and have suddenly found themselves competing for playoff spots.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat have been slowly declining without their All-NBA wing. In stark contrast to Butler’s new team, the Heat are 4-12 since shipping Jimmy out, with the lack of a clear leader detrimental to their game.
Bam Adebayo has been unable to lead the way Butler did, and Tyler Herro has not been able to rekindle his All-Star form. Andrew Wiggins, who they got back in the trade for Butler, has failed to recapture the heights he reached during the Warriors’ 2022 title run.
The Heat are on a seven-game losing streak right now and seem all but done this season. While they are still in a play-in position, their squad seems defeated, and there is very little chance they’ll make it through two games to enter the playoffs come May.
