Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat inevitably experienced a disappointing season, culminating in a first-round playoff loss to the Boston Celtics. Butler had to watch from the sideline during the playoffs as he battled a sprained MCL that he sustained in the middle of April. That seemed to be the theme for this year; Butler’s best ability was his availability. He played in 60 games this season. However, he was not available when he was needed the most.
The 34-year-old Houston native is in a peculiar spot, showing his value as a lead player when it matters Butler still has the capabilities of being a 20-point scoring two-way player. However, the Miami Heat must now evaluate their future and financial commitments. If they retain Butler, he is set to earn almost $49 million next year, with a player option of $52 million for the following season that he is likely to exercise.
Two weeks ago, at the end-of-season media interviews, Heat General Manager Pat Riley was asked about Butler’s contract. He said that it was something they had not spoken about internally, with them having to get through next year and then see where Jimmy is at and if he will be opting into his player option.
According to NBC Sports Kurt Helen despite what Riley said, it seems as if the Miami Heat could be open to helping Butler find a new team to finish his career with.
“Despite what Pat Riley said at his press conference, there are rumblings that Miami could be open to parting ways with Jimmy Butler rather than extending him. Re-uniting Butler and Joel Embiid could work, something Fischer mentions at Yahoo Sports. He also notes DeMar DeRozan is a free agent, but that’s not an ideal fit.”
However, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported, “League executives are of the mind Butler will most likely remain with the Heat.”
Possibly, a Kevin Durant trade could be an option, or maybe going younger and building around Tyler Herro or Bam Adebayo. Miami does not lack options for what it can do. However, this decision will affect the franchise for at least the next five years. Will it be positive or negative? That is the question every Heat fan keeps asking themselves.
