Two of the bigger names in the NBA to be traded prior to the Feb. 6 trade deadline were guard Luka Doncic and forward Jimmy Butler. After long and successful stints with the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat, they are now with new teams in the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.
Former NBA wing and 14-year veteran Stephen Jackson likened how Heat team president Pat Riley dealt with the Butler saga to how the Mavericks treated Doncic and claimed that players might avoid joining Miami in the future.
“Well I mean, yeah and no,” Jackson said on whether he thinks Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont’s comments on Doncic will deter stars from wanting to play in Dallas. “I mean, it’s kinda similar with how Pat Riley handled the Jimmy situation, you know what I mean? People might not wanna go deal with Miami because of how he handled Jimmy. And that’s kinda the same with Dallas, but I look at it different, you know?”
Former Heat champion Antoine Walker echoed Barnes’ sentiment last month, when the Butler rumors were arguably at their apex. Walker noted that it’s a “player’s league” and that Riley should try to cater to his players more, even if that’s not his modus operandi.
One important difference in Riley’s treatment of Butler compared to the Mavericks’ treatment of Doncic is that the Heat actually granted Butler’s wish by trading him out of Miami, even if it took the team a while to come to terms on a deal. Butler had made it clear since early January that he wanted out, while there is no concrete evidence indicating that the Doncic ever wanted to be moved from Dallas.
Butler’s final month-plus as a member of the Heat was also marred by disciplinary action from the team against him. He was suspended several times leading up to his departure and played only three more games in a Miami uniform after Jan. 2. His final contest with the Heat came when he scored only 13 points versus the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 21.
It seems as if Butler has put the acrimony between him and Riley in the past, as he’s gotten off to an auspicious start to his stint with the Warriors.
He has scored 20-plus points in every one of his first three games with Golden State and just recently stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists against the Mavericks on Wednesday. The Warriors also have a record of 2-1 in that span with victories coming over the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks.
