NBA Rumors: Pat Riley's Jimmy Butler Comments 'Opened a Lot of Eyes' amid Trade Buzz

Miami Heat team president Pat Riley was candid while discussing Jimmy Butler during a press conference on Monday, saying in particular that he didn't appreciate Butler suggesting the Heat would have beaten the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks in the playoffs this year were he healthy enough to play.

"For him to say that, I thought, 'Is that Jimmy trolling or is that Jimmy serious?'" Riley told reporters. "If you're not on the court playing against Boston, if you're not on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut in your criticism of those teams."

That response in particular raised eyebrows around the NBA, as ESPN's Zach Lowe noted on his podcast Tuesday:

"Those comments were, and again, it's Riley. Riley has long since passed the, 'I give zero you-know-what's about anything I say. I will say anything that's on my mind. I don't care who I offend.' He told Jimmy, now this was a little tongue-in-cheek, I think, but still he told Jimmy, 'You're not on the court to play Boston in New York. You should shut your mouth.' "

"He could have said that a little bit more politely. Like even if you're tongue-in-cheek, you could have been like, you know, I just wish he wouldn't have said anything. He wasn't available. He was like, no, I'm going to hit him with the jab and then the right hook and be pretty blunt about it. That is that opened a lot of eyes around the NBA. Let's put it that way. My phone was lighting up during the Riley press conference. They are maybe ground zero for the NBA offseason starting right now."

Butler has never been shy when it comes to confrontation, so Riley's comments—along with him noting that the Heat haven't decided on committing to a Butler extension this summer, in part because it's "a big decision on our part to commit those kinds of resources unless you have somebody who's going to be there and available every single night"—could be setting the stage for some summer fireworks.

Riley did say that the Heat had no plans to trade Butler. But if the star forward feels a certain way about Riley's recent candor and the potential lack of an extension, he may push for a divorce anyway. And that could get messy.