Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra admits the Jimmy Butler saga was a dark cloud that hovered above the organization for much of the season.
"It certainly had an impact," Spoelstra said during Wednesday's exit interview with the media, per the Miami Herald's Anthony Chiang.
"We are an organization that prides ourselves on not making any kind of excuses. Even if we managed it perfectly, there's always second-guessing on what we could have done better just to right the ship. It was turbulent waters. But it's not as if that would have moved the needle for us to be first in the conference. That's unrealistic."
Butler, who led the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances in five seasons with the club, was the focus of president Pat Riley's ire last offseason. The Hall of Famer criticized Butler for his behavior in the 2024 playoffs as well as his lack of availability throughout the season. Miami also refused to give the six-time All-Star his desired two-year, $113-million contract extension.
Butler asked to be traded and was suspended without pay three different times in January before being shipped to the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline.
"It was a good five-year run," Spoelstra commented. "When things end, often times they end not as loudly as this. ... And it's unfortunate."
He added: "We all feel like it didn't have to go to that level. But we have clarity now. We have turned the page, this is a different chapter and we're moving on."
The Heat finished 10th in the East with a 37-45 record. They managed to win two consecutive play-in games to clinch the No. 8 seed but were blown out in a 4-0 sweep against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The first-round exit included a 37-point loss in Game 3 and a 55-point defeat in Game 4, the two largest playoff losses in Miami's history. The Heat's minus-122 point differential through four games makes it the most skewed playoff series in NBA history.
"I feel like Spo tried to do his best to make the team focus on the main thing," Bam Adebayo said Wednesday. "Obviously, there was a lot of noise going on around us. There were a lot of things happening, moving fast, not knowing who's going to be in the lineup, if they were going to show up today or not."
Butler inked a two-year, $121-million extension with Golden State shortly after the trade. He averaged 17.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in 30 games with the Warriors.
Golden State has a 3-1 series lead over the Houston Rockets in Round 1 of the playoffs.
