Jimmy Butler's 'tragic' departure will leave a 'stain' on Miami Heat, says Dwyane Wade
With Jimmy Butler serving a seven-game suspension for his comments about the Miami Heat, it has led to a plethora of reports surfacing about his relationship with the organization.
Some put Butler at fault for demanding too much from the Heat, while others put the blame on president Pat Riley.
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Either way, it's abundantly clear that the chances of Jimmy's return to Miami after this season are bleak. Butler and the Heat are actively working toward finding a new team for the 35-year-old.
Speaking of Butler's now-ruined relationship with the Heat, franchise legend Dwyane Wade offered his two cents on the topic. Wade thinks it's "tragic" to see Butler depart after six amazing years with the organization, but also showed sympathy for the team.
"The Heat was a soft landing spot for Jimmy and Jimmy was exactly the star that the Heat needed for six years — Finals, big moments that they’ve had together,” Wade said. “It’s ending tragically, this is tragic. This is a tragic way to end a relationship. So as a former player, it’s ugly on our franchise, it’s a stain on our franchise that we continue to have the way that the relationships break up. But also, too, on the other side, you don’t run that organization as a player. So you get to that space sometimes where you want to do things your way. It’s Pat Riley’s way.”
Being a franchise legend and winning three NBA titles for the team, there is hardly anyone who understands the Heat culture better than D-Wade.
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Despite expressing sadness about Butler's inevitable departure, Wade wanted fans to know that an organization is never run by a single player. So even if it's tragic, as long as Riley is the president, the last say will always be his.
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