The noise around Jimmy Butler and his future with the Miami Heat has grown louder this week, prompting questions about whether Butler’s tenure could come to an end sooner than expected. It’s a question Butler does not have an answer to.
A reporter asked after Wednesday’s practice, “Where do you stand as far as longterm future, hopefully or otherwise, with the Miami Heat?”
Butler’s response: “Who knows?”
Jimmy Butler doesn't seem sure about his future with the Miami Heat.
There has been whispers about Butler’s future from various media sources ever since the Heat denied Butler a maximum contract extension over the summer. Then, ahead of the Dec. 15 marker on the NBA calendar that serves as the unofficial start of trade season because most contacts signed over the summer become eligible to be traded, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that “the Heat are open to listening to offers for Butler and making a deal if the proposal is right.”
That report set off a social media firestorm and fanned even more speculation that Butler’s time in Miami could come to an end before February’s trade deadline.
“It’s fine with me,” Butler said of the trade speculation. “It doesn’t bother me one bit and I do appreciate it. I appreciate going out there and hooping and I appreciate being efficient, being effective and helping my team win. I don’t ever take playing basketball for anybody for granted.”
Butler’s contract situation is putting his future into question. He has a player option for $52.4 million next season, but sources continue to tell the Miami Herald that Butler plans to opt out and become a free agent, with the goal of signing a maximum contract with the Heat or another team.
That creates risk of the Heat losing Butler for nothing. Or, of course, they could trade him before he leaves and get something back that can help kickstart the next era of Heat basketball.
Publicly, Butler has downplayed the importance of his next contract, going so far as to say that he doesn’t care about money.
When asked Wednesday if signing another max contract is his top priority, Butler said, “Not really.”
“I’m not worried about an extension,” he continued. “We’ll handle all of that whenever it gets here and take it day by day. The more articles that come out, the more y’all are going to ask me questions about it. So keep the articles coming.”
But maybe the most revealing thing about Butler’s media session is that, for someone once so sure about his place in the league and where he was headed, he refused to make any concrete declarations.
Does Butler hope to spend the rest of his career with the Heat?
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m pretty sure y’all are going to get a report that’s going to say otherwise anyways. So there’s no sense in me answering that question.”