In the past, Riley has occasionally gotten into it with his superstars near the end of their Miami tenures. He had contract tensions with Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, which prompted Wade's stunning departure to his hometown Chicago Bulls in free agency during the summer of 2016.

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler reiterated to team president Pat Riley in a face-to-face meeting last week that he wants to be traded, league sources told ESPN. Butler told Riley that he will not sign a new deal in Miami and that he intends to use his $52 million player option for 2025-26 in the offseason only as a trade maneuver,

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler has "reiterated" to team president Pat Riley that he wants to be traded, according to a report from ESPN's Shams Charania. The discussion between Butler and Riley took place in a face-to-face meeting last week,