Will All-NBA Miami Heat swingman Jimmy Butler really sign his next major deal with another club?
It’s been a hot topic of conversation (ahem) since the No. 8 seeded Heat, without Butler (who was injured and missed the entire series, as well as Miami point guard Terry Rozier), were blown out 4-1 in the first. Eastern Conference playoffs by the eventual champion Miami Heat. During the new 2024 offseason preview from The Ringer’s staff of basketball experts, Howard Beck identified Butler as the most likely superstar prospect to be traded this summer.
“Executives have been competing for months, for all the obvious reasons,” Beck wrote. “Credit Butler for leading Miami to two Finals in five seasons. But a team built around Butler and (All-Star center) Bam Adebayo isn’t enough to challenge the Celtics, Bucks, or Sixers in the East. (Team president) Pat Riley is known for switch off high-priced players before they fall from Cliff And Butler at this stage will be more valuable as a second or third choice in the contender than as the top dog in Miami time to pivot.”
As Beck notes, Butler has been a bit of a snakebite lately, and has had years of injury problems. The 34-year-old is currently owed $48.8 million in 2024-25, but is vocally angling for a two-season, $113 million contract extension with Miami. If the team approves his wishes, Beck noted, the Heat won’t be able to build much of a roster beyond their current personnel.
Beck’s pessimism about the prospects of the Heat rather than the Milwaukee Bucks or the Philadelphia 76ers is a little curious, because Miami with Butler at the helm drove both clubs in the 2023 playoffs to the NBA Finals, while the Sixers have not reached the Finals since All-Star center Joel Embiid was all seven years old in 2001 .
Does Miami really want to move on from Butler, who has publicly stated that he wants to finish his career with the Heat? Perhaps, because he wants maximum money during his Age-37 season, and has not played more than 64 games since 2018-19. In fact, Butler only played more than 67 games twice in his decorated 13-year pro run.
As for a potential destination for Butler, Beck’s The Ringer colleague Rob Mahoney suggested that a potential reunion with the aforementioned Sixers, who play in the 2018-2019 season, could be a good fit for Butler. A superb two-way talent, Butler is an excellent playmaker and midrange shooter, and has an uncanny knack for drawing contact on drives.
Butler has already punched his ticket to the Hall of Fame thanks to his tenure in Miami. A six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA honoree, he was the best player of the pair on the Finals-bound underdog Heat squad (they were always the bottom seed in all four series when two were running) in 2020 and ’23 .
The Marquette product is also still an elite perimeter defender. He would be a great remedy for what ails Philadelphia, but could be a winning trade addition right now for teams looking for wing help like the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks. .
Last year in Miami, during 60 healthy games, Butler averaged 20.8 points on a .499 / .414 / .858 shooting split, 5.3 rebounds, five assists, and 1.3 steals a night. His 41.4 percent three-point conversion rate on 2.4 attempts per game represents a career three-point shooter’s best of 32.9 percent.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for a common field.