"So you can be mad" - Jimmy Butler embraces 'bad guy' role in Warriors-Heat showdown after heated Pat Riley fallout

On Tuesday night, Jimmy Butler will return to Miami to face the Heat for the first time since being traded. Ahead of this showdown, the star forward reflected on embracing a villainous persona following the ugly fallout.

After years of contending and two trips to the NBA Finals, Butler's departure from the Heat was far from seamless. He had a months-long saga with team presidentPat Riley which eventually led to him being dealt to the Golden State Warriors.

Before taking the floor in Miami after his drama-filled departure, Jimmy Butler opened up about how he feels about the situation. At this point, he has no problem with being seen as the 'bad guy.'

“So you can be mad. You can paint a picture that is not entirely true. I don’t even need to get into that. They know what they’re doing," Butler said. "You got to paint somebody to be the bad guy. I’ll take being a bad guy. Makes no difference.

"I’m here now. I’m competing at a high level and I’m helping the Golden State Warriors win. They want me here. Hell, I’m cool with being a bad guy over there.”

Seeing that things have worked out well for him following the trade, Butler has no reason to hold a grudge with the Heat. The Warriors have been one of the hottest teams in basketball, and have quickly emerged as a dark horse in the Western Conference playoffs.

Butler's return to Miami will be on national television, as the game is set to air on TNT.

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Jimmy Butler speaks on joining Warriors after countless rumors tying him to the Phoenix Suns

For the first half of the season, the Jimmy Butler saga was the biggest ongoing storyline in the NBA. Things ended up coming to a shocking end, as he didn't wind up with the team he was the most linked to in rumors.

As things continued to unfold with Butler, all the reporting showed signs of him ending up with the Phoenix Suns. They seemed to be the most interested, as they were at the forefront of the rumor mill up until the deadline. However, it ended up being the Golden State Warriors who swooped in and pulled off the blockbuster deal.

Later on in his interview, Jimmy Butler touched on the Warriors being the team to pull off a trade for him. When it came to possible landing spots, the only thing he cared about was being somewhere he could win at a high level.

“I wasn’t skeptical of coming here,” Butler said. “I just didn’t talk to anybody. … I knew I was going to get this contract no matter what. The people keep talking about it being about the money. How can it be about the money when any team that traded for me, what were they going to do? I just want to win. Where can I go to win?”

Seeing that the Warriors are 16-4 since he entered the lineup, it seems Butler has gotten his wish of playing for a competitive team.