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Is Jimmy Butler, a six-time All-Star swingman, really going to play his last games with the Miami Heat?
The 34-year-old was a two-way player for the 46-36 Heat, who finished the season as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, and he produced at his typical high level. In his sixty fit games, he averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, five assists, 1.3 steals, and a slash line of.499/.414/.858 per game.
During the Heat’s opening play-in game of the postseason, a 105-104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Butler damaged his right knee’s MCL. He missed the entire Miami Heat’s subsequent five-game series loss to the formidable Boston Celtics.
Butler is attempting to secure a two-year contract extension, which would pay him an estimated $113 million, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Butler’s current contract with the team has a $52.4 million player option for 2025–2026 in addition to one more guaranteed season. Butler is trying to force the Heat to hurry things ahead, but they don’t need to be in a rush to extend him. He has therefore been the focus of trade rumours.
There has been talk about a potential agreement that could suit both parties, ESPN’s Nick Friedell disclosed during an appearance with “Willard and Dibs” hosts Mark T. Willard and Dan Dibley on 95.7 The Fan San Francisco.
“There has been mention of Jimmy Butler in the conversation,” Friedell stated. “On paper, I believe it works, but as the dominant player that he is, I’m not sure how he fits into that locker room, and I’m not sure if the Warriors would want to give him that extension given all the wear and wears on his knees. That would terrify me to no end.”
Friedell raises an important question about the health of the 6-foot-7 swingman. Butler hasn’t participated in more than 65 games since the Chicago Bulls’ NBA season of 2016–17, which was a long time ago.
Butler is a fantastic player who led his two underdog Heat teams to appearances in the NBA Finals in 2020 and 2023. Of course, the Warriors are four-time champions, but they were not in the playoffs the previous season due to the ageing core of Stephen Curry (36), Klay Thompson (34), and Draymond Green (33), who is expected to become an unrestricted free agent this summer if he is unable to reach an extension with the team. Jonathan Kuminga, the 2021 lottery selection, made a significant breakthrough in 2023–24 and now appears to be a blue-chip talent on the periphery.
It goes without saying that Golden State wouldn’t get Butler for nothing. The most obvious young player Miami would desire for their seasoned superstar appears to be Kuminga. Before the free agency period began, the Heat could combine Kuminga, some future draft equity, Andrew Wiggins’, Gary Payton II’s, and centre Kevon Looney’s contracts in exchange for Butler’s $45.2 million salary.
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