Star Heat swingman Jimmy Butler is set to remain with Miami for the 2024-25 season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA honoree, who has a player option for 2025-26, will not complete a contract extension with the Heat or agitate for a trade prior to the 2025 offseason, sources inform Charania, who says Butler “has an affinity” for Miami and wants to remain with the organization.
While Miami could still unilaterally decide to trade Butler, there’s no indication they want to do so, Charania adds, especially since he’s reportedly unwilling to sign an extension with any team, which would limit his value on the trade market.
There had been speculation this spring that Butler may seek a change of scenery due to the fact that he 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.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst stated earlier Wednesday during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show that Butler had informed rival clubs of his preference to stick with the Heat, even without a new deal in place.
“Even if there’s no extension, he’s going to focus on next season. He’s got a player option in the summer of 2025 next year that he can use,” Windhorst reported on The Pat McAfee Show. “I think Jimmy Butler wants to be in Miami. There’s teams that have definitely said ‘Hey, are you looking to get out?’ And I think he said, ‘I’m solid in Miami.’ I think that’s been communicated with the Heat. We’ll see what happens next summer.”
The 6-foot-7 swingman submitted another impressive season when he was available. Across 60 healthy contests, Butler averaged 20.8 points (on .499/.414/.858 shooting), 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game for the 46-36 Heat in 2023-24. However, he was unavailable for the team’s first-round series loss to Boston due to an MCL sprain.
Since joining Miami in a sign-and-trade during the summer of 2019, the Marquette alum has led the team to two Finals appearances, plus three Eastern Conference Finals berths.
According to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel, Butler and the Heat could revisit extension talks at some point in the 2024-25 season.
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