MIAMI – The waiting game apparently will be the game of choice for Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler when it comes to future contract plans.
As an NBA source previously confirmed to the Sun Sentinel, the intent by Butler now is to bypass next month’s start of his extension window, with an eye instead on the 2025 offseason, when he has the right to become a free agent or extend his contract.
Butler remains free to sign an extension through the end of next season, with the Heat still with the right to trade Butler in the interim at any point ahead of February’s NBA trading deadline.
In the wake of the Heat falling in the first round of the playoffs after advancing through the play-in bracket as a No. 8 seed, Heat President Pat Riley spoke in terms of a long view in regards to Butler’s contract.
Riley’s focus during his season-ending comments last month centered on Butler missing 22 of the 82 regular-season games with a knee injury then keeping Butler out of the second of the Heat’s two play-in games and their 4-1 opening-round loss to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics.
An extension for Butler, 34, would be limited to two years at $113 million, and actually would only add one year to his contract, with the first year of an extension replacing his 2025-26 option year.
Butler is due a team-high $48.8 million this coming season, with a $52.4 million option for 2025-26.
In his season-ending comments, Riley said of a potential Butler extension, “That’s a big decision on our part to commit those kinds of resources unless you have somebody who’s going to be there and available every single night. That’s the truth. We have to look at making that kind of commitment and when do we do it. We don’t have to do it until 2025, actually.”
Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, said at the time that the goal remained an amicable agreement on an extension at the opening of that July 7 window.
“Jimmy missed 22 games this past year, a mix of personal reasons and injury,” Lee said to the Sun Sentinel in a May 6 interview. “If there was a game that was on the schedule that Jimmy was healthy enough to participate in, he did that. He played in a number of back-to-backs and it was the utmost priority to him to do everything he can to be available.”
Lee also said at the time, “There’s going to be honest conversations that have to be had this summer about how to move forward, but those conversations aren’t going to be driven by anything other than, ‘How do we do this to move forward to take the next step, and win a championship?'”
Now it appears talks will be tabled, with Butler’s play this coming season to determine his future salary – and potentially his future playing home.
Butler has not commented directly on Riley’s comments, but has stressed a desire to remain with the Heat, having helped lead the team to the Eastern Conference finals three of the past five seasons, with NBA Finals appearances in 2020 and ’23.
Butler’s contract is available to be traded at any time, with several teams privately hinting at interest.
