During a recent trip to Los Angeles, Jimmy Butler caused a stir when he suggested he would look good in Lakers colors. Despite the hoopla, the Athletic’s Shams Charania believes Butler’s preference is to sign a long-term extension with the Miami Heat.
"My sense is Jimmy Butler does not want to be anywhere but Miami," Charania said on the Pat McAfee Show Tuesday. "Sense is that he loves it in Miami. But again, he is extension-eligible this year. There are multiple teams out there that would give him an extension."
Butler is eligible to sign a two-year, $113 million extension this summer and, according to the Miami Herald, could see the maximum value from another team if the Heat are unwilling to make that commitment.
Jimmy Butler's preference is to get a long-term extension from the Miami Heat, but other teams would offer the max extension if they don't.
Butler, who will be 35 in September, is currently signed for $48.8 million nex season and has a $52.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season. A maximum contract extension would raise his 2025-26 salary by about $2 million and add another year that would pay him $58.6 million for the 2026-27 season.
However, the Heat have not signaled a willingness to negotiate an extension with Butler, who appeared in just 60 games and was sidelined with an MCL injury for Miami’s first-round playoff loss to the Boston Celtics.
"That's a big decision on our part to commit those kinds of resources unless you have somebody who's going to be there and available every single night," Heat president Pat Riley said during his end-of-season news conference. "That's the truth."
If the Heat and Butler cannot come to an agreement, it’s expected that other teams would be willing to give Butler a maximum extension. That includes the Philadelphia 76ers, who have made it known that Butler is their backup plan if they cannot sign Paul George in free agency this summer. Other teams like the Lakers, Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets have been mentioned as potential destinations.