ESPN’s Jorge Sedano shared a story of how the Heat’s near-trade for Jimmy Butler fell apart, with Pat Riley dropping the big MF on Tom Thibodeau (transcript via Deadspin):
“There’s been a couple of different incarnations of this deal. The first one, the Heat didn’t want to take back Gorgui Dieng. Then, the next incarnation of the deal was ‘OK forget it, let’s just do it straight up, just for Jimmy on your end.’ They finally relented on Josh Richardson, they were giving them Josh Richardson, then Dion Waiters was going to be the cap filler, and then a protected first-round pick. The medicals were exchanged, which generally in the NBA means this is a done deal. And then, Thibs called back and wanted more picks. And Pat Riley literally—I was told—called him a motherbleeper and hung up the phone.”
The Heat and Timberwolves have been negotiating for weeks following Butler’s trade request. Miami is considered the only serious suitor at this time, but it appears talks have gone dormant as the regular season draws closer.
If you follow the story Sedano weaves, it’s not hard to see why Riley grew frustrated. The Heat seem to have relented on nearly every demand the Wolves had—aside from taking on Gorgui Dieng—only for Thibodeau to demand more.
Thibodeau has all of the reason to want to hang onto Butler. It’s clear his power within the organization is in a tenuous spot. Owner Glen Taylor has put a mandate on the organization to trade Butler, though it appears Thibodeau and general manager Scott Layden have been taking their time in the process.
Butler infamously returned to practice Wednesday, insulting his teammates and then going on ESPN to discuss his displeasure in Minnesota.
So odds are Riley isn’t the only one who is a little frustrated with the way things are going.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
