Jimmy Butler, a star swingman for the Heat, will stay with Miami for the 2024–25 campaign, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
The six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA honoree, who has a player option for 2025–26, sources tell Charania that Butler “has an affinity” for Miami and wants to stay with the team, so he won’t finish a contract extension with the Heat or push for a trade before the 2025 offseason.
Butler’s trade worth is limited since he is reportedly unlikely to sign an extension with any team, which limits his value on the trade market, although Charania notes that Miami could still decide unilaterally to sell Butler.
Because Butler was reportedly seeking a two-year, maximum-salary extension and Heat president Pat Riley publicly expressed reluctance to put that deal on the table for the 34-year-old, who has battled injuries in recent years, there had been conjecture this spring that Butler might seek a change of scenery.
Earlier on Wednesday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on The Pat McAfee Show that Butler has communicated to other teams his desire to remain with the Heat, even in the absence of a new contract.
When healthy, the 6-foot-7 swingman put up another strong season. Butler led the 46-36 Heat in 2023–24 with an average of 20.8 points (on.499/.414/.858), 5.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game across 60 healthy games. But an MCL sprain kept him out of the team’s first-round series loss to Boston.
Following his summer 2019 sign-and-trade with Miami, the former Marquette player has guided the Heat to three Eastern Conference Finals berths in addition to two Finals appearances.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman reports that Butler and the Heat may bring up extension negotiations again during the 2024–25 campaign.
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