Evan Turner questions ‘how Pat Riley is with his wife’ after harsh Jimmy Butler comments

Miami Heat executive Pat Riley had a lot to say while meeting with the media on Monday, and some of his comments on star wing Jimmy Butler made headlines.

The comments prompted former NBA wing Evan Turner to joke about what Riley is like around his wife.

With Butler injured, the Heat were eliminated in the first round by the Boston Celtics, but that didn’t stop the 34-year-old from talking some trash after the fact.

Riley wasn’t a fan of Butler’s comments.

Butler has earned a reputation as one of the best postseason performers in the NBA, but he didn’t get a chance to add to his playoff legacy this season. He missed Miami’s entire first-round series against Boston due to an MCL injury.

In 2020 and 2023, Butler helped the Heat reach the NBA Finals, overcoming long odds each time to get there. However, the franchise is still trying to win its first title of the Butler era, and the 2023-24 campaign was largely a year to forget for the organization.

Butler’s future is starting to become a bit of a hot topic around the NBA, with some questioning whether his partnership with the Heat will last. There has even been some buzz connecting him to the Philadelphia 76ers.

For now, he remains a core part of the Heat, but he’s only under contract for one more season (excluding his player option for the 2025-26 campaign). That’s going to be a relevant subject throughout the offseason for Miami.

This season, the six-time All-Star averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 49.9 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from deep. The Heat finished with a 46-36 record in the regular season before earning a playoff bid by way of the play-in tournament.

It seems to be a tense time for Heat fans, who may be anxious for clarity about the direction of the organization. It will be Riley’s job to navigate the waters during the offseason and do what’s best for the franchise’s immediate and future interests.

The Heat haven’t won an NBA title since 2013, when the Big 3 era was still ongoing in South Florida.