NBA executives are curious to see how the Miami Heat will manage star wing Jimmy Butler’s contract situation, according to Action Network’s Matt Moore.
Butler is currently under contract through at least the 2024-25 season and has a player option for the 2025-26 campaign.
“As stated above, Miami continues to be looking for any star that comes available,” Moore wrote. “But beyond that, there’s very little indication of anything the Heat are known to be looking for. Executives are interested to see how the Heat manage Jimmy Butler being extension eligible with a player option for 2025-26 at $52 million.”
Butler, 34, has led Miami to a ton of success since he joined the team prior to the 2019-20 season. However, he’s also dealt with injuries with the Heat, having never played in more than 64 games in a regular season with the team. He has already missed 15 games this season.
With Butler aging, the Heat may want to be careful about how long they are willing to extend his contract as well as how much they’re willing to pay him each season. An option for $52 million could be viewed as high for a player who will be 36 years old during the 2025-26 season.
Still, Miami has made the NBA Finals in two of the last four seasons since Butler joined the franchise. While the team hasn’t won a title, it has been in the Eastern Conference Finals three times over that stretch, consistently competing with the best teams in the East.
The team’s current core of Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro is solid, and the franchise came close to winning a title last season even though Herro missed almost all of the team’s playoff run.
This season, the Heat are off to a solid start, posting a 24-18 record through their first 42 games. The team holds the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference entering Sunday’s game against the Orlando Magic.
Butler has played well in the 27 games that he’s appeared in this season. The veteran is averaging 21.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Miami doesn’t have to make a decision on Butler’s future right away, but the team may look to work on his contract as a way to keep him from hitting free agency. The Heat are hoping Butler can still play at a high enough level this season to get the team back to the NBA Finals.
