The first thing most teams that are eliminated in the playoffs have to think about is who they bring back for next season. No one is safe because some will have to hit free agency or get traded for assets before the draft. The Miami Heat are one of those squads and are faced with a headache regarding Jimmy Butler. After getting demolished by the Boston Celtics in the NBA Playoffs, Pat Riley has to make a choice about his player’s extension. It looks like I have fired a warning shot already.
Jimmy Butler’s camp dispels the notion
The words, “If you’re not on the court playing… you should keep our mouth shut,” echoed around the world. It hit Heat fans the hardest. These were launched by Pat Riley and it was directed against Jimmy Butler. It was clearly for making fun of Jaylen Brown’s ‘Don’t let us get one’ comments from last year’s postseason. The Heat star has made it clear that he is not deleting anything at all and for good reason.
Jimmy Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, even backed him up. He did this while dispelling the narrative that his client is never on the court despite his absence in the NBA Playoffs against the Celtics, via Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
“Taking issue in games in which he plays is just not reality. This past season, we had a conversation at the start of the year… The priority that was in place was to be able to participate in every game he was physically able to participate in. “I can tell you that I have lived up to that commitment,” Lee declared.
He even further hammered the point about his star always being there for the Heat.
“Jimmy missed 22 games this last year, a mix of personal reasons and injury. If there was a game that was on the schedule that Jimmy was healthy enough to participate in, he did that. I have played in a number of back-to-backs. It was the highest priority to him to do everything he can to be available,” he added.
Heat star’s availability
Riley and the Heat have Butler under contract up until the 2025-26 season. He can exercise his player option starting next season. But, the cap hit he brings to the team is quite large. The Heat will have to stomach a nearly $49 million hit next season just because of his contract.
Butler has seen the most playing time (34 minutes) in his career since his stint with the Minnesota Timberwolves (36.7 minutes) back in the 2017-18 season. This is also one of his three 60-game seasons in the past half a decade. It could be helpful in his case about staying on the floor for the Heat. While there is growing concern about his aging and NBA Playoff rivals like the Celtics getting stronger, there is still optimism that he stays in South Beach.
“I have too much respect for both what Jimmy’s accomplished in his career and what he’s built to negotiate publicly. I have way too much respect for the franchise that currently employs him to be doing that. So we’re going to go away, we’re going to do our business, and that’s whatever it’s going to be,” he concluded.
Will his relationship with Pat Riley affect his upcoming extension?
