One of the biggest storylines around the NBA of late has been about what the Miami Heat will do with superstar forward Jimmy Butler. We have gotten conflicting information regarding whether the Heat will end up trading the veteran before the NBA trade deadline this year.

Over the offseason, there was speculation that Miami could look to deal Butler due to his desire for a new contract extension. Miami hasn’t come close to moving Butler yet but there is a lot of talk about the possibility now.

This has led many to speculate about what led to this moment since the pairing seemed to work out so well together. Former NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins offered his thoughts on the matter, blaming the relationship that Butler has with Pat Riley for everything.

“I think that relationship just ran its course,” Cousins said of Butler and the Heat. “And it’s – you gotta think about the personalities involved. If you know Jimmy, he’s head honcho wherever he is. And then you think about a guy like Pat Riley, who also has that same mindset. So, obviously they haven’t found success as of lately, so I believe it’s a clash of two big, dominant egos.”

Butler has a player option for next season and many believe he could decline it to enter free agency. But the Heat would likely trade him before potentially losing him for nothing on the open market.

This relationship between the two men has seemed to unwind in recent years, with Riley taking a public shot at Butler over the offseason. Following the Heat being eliminated in the postseason, Butler said that if he had played, Miami would have won.

Riley responded to this by saying that Butler shouldn’t talk if he can’t play.

“For him to say that, I thought ‘Is that Jimmy trolling or is that Jimmy serious?'” said Riley. “If you’re not on the court playing against Boston or on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut and your criticism of those teams.”

This seemed to start much of the speculation about an eventual parting of ways but so far, nothing has happened. However, there is a ton of smoke coming from this story and we could eventually see Butler moved from the Heat.

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