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Pat Riley on Caron Butler: He wanted a role we couldn't promise him

The Miami Heat were thought to be the frontrunner in the Caron Butler sweepstakes after the veteran forward agreed to a contract buyout with the Milwaukee Bucks in late February.

However, the 33-year-old ultimately decided to sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder in favor of making a return to the team that drafted him in 2002, and Heat president Pat Riley revealed earlier this week why he believes that decision was made.

Per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Riley said he was unable to promise Butler a significant role with the team, given the depth already on the roster.

"I think when you look at our roster, and I think in our conversations with them, they wanted a meaningful role, and I don't blame them. And we're pretty deep. When you've got James Jones and Udonis Haslem and Rashard Lewis in those positions, they're waiting, and Mike [Beasley] and Greg [Oden] are getting minutes from [roster spots] nine and 10. They were looking for something else. We love Caron. We reached out to him. But he was very definitive with what he wanted and I don't think it's something we could have promised."

Butler will make his Thunder debut tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers, and it will be interesting to see how much playing time he receives heading down the stretch run of the season and into the playoffs.

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