One NBA executive believes that the Miami Heat need to do what is best for them when it comes to star forward Jimmy Butler’s future with the franchise.
It’s been reported that the Heat plan to retain Butler through the trade deadline unless they get an offer that meets a certain threshold, but it’s presumably also possible the franchise’s plans could change based on how the 2024-25 season is going.
“As for Butler’s future, there is a growing consensus among the teams I talked to that unless the six-time All-Star becomes a distraction, or the Heat receive a trade offer they cannot turn down, Butler will be on the Heat’s roster once the deadline passes,” ESPN’s Bobby Marks wrote.
“As ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Dec. 10, Butler likely will decline his $52 million player option for next season, making him a free agent unless an extension is reached by June 30. The Heat are eligible to sign Butler to a two-year, $112.6 million extension. (His $52.4 million player option would be replaced by a $54.1 million salary in Year 1 of the extension.)”
The Heat could still bring Butler back in the offseason, and it’s been reported that they aren’t worried about losing the star in free agency.
Still, one executive believes that the Heat have to do what is best for them.
“Miami has to do what is best for them, not what is in the best interest for Butler,” a Western Conference executive told ESPN.
This could mean that the executive believes that Miami shouldn’t necessarily move Butler to one of his reported preferred destinations during the 2024-25 season and that the squad should instead take the highest offer for the six-time All-Star in order to build for the future (if a trade happens at all).
It could also mean that the executive believes the team should think hard about how it wants to approach contract talks with the veteran.
The Heat still have a solid core with players like Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and others. So far this season, the Heat are 13-13 and hold the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference, but they have dropped each of their last three games.
Butler has been in and out of the lineup in the 2024-25 season, appearing in 20 of Miami’s 26 contests. He will also miss Monday’s game. He’s never appeared in more than 64 regular-season games in a single season with the Heat.
In the 2024-25 season, Butler is averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game while shooting 55.2 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from 3-point range.
Butler has led the Heat to two trips to the NBA Finals during his tenure with the franchise, and that could be a reason for Miami to hold onto him this season if it feels it can make a playoff run, but there are no guarantees how things will play out.
