Why did Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler refuse to sign an extension?
The Heat star seems to have closed the door on the possibility of continuing with the team, meaning he intends to test the market when his contract ends.
While there were trade rumors surrounding the Heat power forward, he has now made it clear that it will be him who decides where he plays next. Will he stay or will he go is something we can only wait to see.
Jimmy Butler will chart his own course
According to reports on Wednesday, Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler will be heading to the open market next summer. What that means is that Butler will instead “...play out his current contract with the Heat,” as per Shams Charania. “I’m told he will not be signing an extension with the Heat or any other team ahead of his opt-out in 2025 free agency.” To be clear, Butler has a $52.4 million player option for that final year, which he can either use for another year of max money or opt out of to secure a long-term deal. It’s understood that he intends to decline said option which will see him pocket $48.8 million next season.
So, what happens now? According to Charania, Butler won’t be requesting a trade from the Heat this offseason but rather intends to make this year a big one, something that would understandably increase his market value. Truthfully, at 34 years old, the six-time NBA All-Star is by no means past it which is to say, securing a massive contract in free agency next year is more than doable. Where context is concerned, this coming season will be Butler’s sixth in Miami and he’s yet to win a title despite two appearances in the NBA Finals (2020 & 2023).
As for the Heat, the news comes on the back of reports confirming that the team’s other major star, Bam Adebayo, has agreed to a lucrative three-year max extension. Talk about mixed emotions. At any rate, it should be said that as much as Butler may have declined to sign an extension, it doesn’t completely remove the possibility of a trade. In theory, teams could take him on a short-term basis or with the assumption that they could somehow convince him to stay long-term. Either way, we’re talking about a player who averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game this past season, meaning he’s top-tier. Watch this space.