JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Jimmy Butler Can Make a Move to Brooklyn Nets Next Season; NBA Insider REVEALS
Jimmy Butler is one of the most influential players on the roster for Miami Heat but it looks like his time at the franchise is coming to an end.
Jimmy Butler, who has been at odds with the Heat over his contract status since the end of the previous season, is getting ready for the 2024–25 NBA season with the team, but he's also considering free agency next summer if he opts out of his deal.
According to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, Butler "likes" the Brooklyn Nets and is inclined to test the market unless he can get a max deal from the Heat beforehand. Heat president Pat Riley told reporters in May that the organization hadn't discussed an extension at that point.
"We have to look at making that kind of commitment and when do we do it," Riley said. "We don't have to do it until 2025, actually. But we'll see. We haven't made a decision on it, and we haven't really in earnest discussed it." Riley also retaliated against Butler's assertion that, had he been able to play, the Heat would have defeated the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks in the postseason.
"I thought, 'Is that Jimmy trolling, or is that Jimmy serious?'" Riley said. "If you're not on the court playing against Boston or on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut on the criticism of those teams."
With a sprained MCL, Butler was sidelined for all five games of Miami's first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics. On June 26, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium revealed that Butler had decided to finish out his current contract rather than sign a contract extension with them—or with another team, should he be traded—before he could opt out after the following season.
Since July 7, Butler has been qualified to sign a two-year contract extension with the Heat worth up to $112.9 million. Mikal Bridges was traded to the New York Knicks earlier this summer, and the Nets also struck a separate deal with the Houston Rockets to begin their rebuilding process.
In addition to an unprotected pick swap from the Knicks in 2028, those two trades gave the Nets six unprotected future first-round draft picks between 2025 and 2031. In what currently appears to be a very promising 2025 draft, they may have as many as four first-round selections.
Brooklyn does anticipate having a cap space of $70 million by the summer. If they can add elite players through trades or free agency, the team may be able to expedite a rebuild with the help of the money and additional draft capital.
Given that he will turn 35 on September 14 and that he has missed at least 18 games during the regular season in each of the previous four seasons, Butler is a difficult player to evaluate. Butler is still outstanding and a game-changer on both ends of the court when healthy. In 60 starts during the previous season, the six-time All-Star averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game.
Latest Articles
