From Heat’s support of Jimmy Butler to the extension question, Butler’s agent offers insight

It only took five seasons for Jimmy Butler to establish himself as one of the greatest Miami Heat players ever.

Butler, who turned 35 in September, has already helped lead the Heat to three Eastern Conference finals appearances and two NBA Finals appearances since joining the team during the 2019 offseason. But Butler still enters his sixth season with the Heat amid some uncertainty surrounding his future with the organization.

With a $52.4 million player option in Butler’s contract for next season, he can become a free agent this upcoming summer. If Butler opts out and becomes a free agent next offseason, he will be eligible to sign a four-year max contract projected to be worth about $243 million with the Heat or a max three-year contract worth $171 million elsewhere.

But Butler and the Heat may not even reach that point if they can agree to the two-year contract extension worth about $113 million that he’s already eligible for. The Heat also has until June 30 to sign Butler to this extension.

This extension would replace Butler’s 2025-26 option and begin that season. This two-year max extension would include salaries of $54.3 million for the 2025-26 season (nearly a $2 million increase from the player option in Butler’s current contract for that season) and $58.6 million for the 2026-2027 season when Butler will be 37 years old. Those numbers could fluctuate based on where the NBA’s salary cap is set for those seasons.

The expectation at this point is that Butler will pass on the extension even if the Heat offers it, according to sources, and then opt out of his current contract to become a free agent next summer.

“He’s going to have the ability to opt and we’re going to have the ability to extend,” Heat president Pat Riley said last week to a small group of reporters when asked about Butler’s contract status. “So I’m trying to get all that thinking out of our heads because it’s living in the present moment and playing basketball. So if there’s something that’s going to drag me down or him down because of that, then we’re not going to perform at a certain level. But I think he’s embraced exactly where he’s at, I think he understands where we’re at.”

Here’s some insight from Butler’s agent Bernie Lee, who spoke to the Miami Herald ahead of Wednesday’s regular-season opener against the Orlando Magic at Kaseya Center:

Last season was tough for Jimmy off the court with the passing of his father, Jimmy Butler Jr. How did that affect him on the court and what type of support did he receive from the Heat during those difficult times?

Bernie: “Last year was last year, and at this point it has been pretty well documented that there were some life things going on for Jimmy. Through it all, one thing I’ll be very clear about is the amount of support Jimmy received from the entire organization, namely Pat, Andy [Elisburg], Spo [Erik Spoelstra] and the Arisons. Last spring there was a celebration of life for Jimmy Jr. — because of the NBA season it had to be on an off day between games. During the gathering there was a portion where we watched a video, etc. When the video was over and the lights came up, I was sitting in the front and I stood up to collect myself. I glanced around the room and noticed that while the video was playing, Pat and Andy and other members of the organization had come to support Jimmy and his family in what was a difficult time, obviously. They hadn’t told anyone and it wasn’t talked about. They simply made the effort to get on a plane and travel to where Jimmy and his family were to make sure they were there, and that’s the stuff that matters. There has never been a question of support, there never will be.”

Jimmy is still eligible to sign an extension with the Heat until June 30. Would he consider that extension if the Heat offers it between now and then?

Bernie: “The gift about sports is to a large extent things are absolutes and there is no need to live in hypotheticals. The absolute is the season at hand and the work that needs to be done. Jimmy went away this summer and prepared himself for the task at hand, I think we all see that. Speculating on what’s next is irrelevant and disrespectful to the moment and this group. One of the major things I’ve noticed with Jimmy that has been a foundation of his success has been the creation of process and routine. He’s locked into that process and routine, and ready to attack this season with the group around him.”

Obviously, there’s some uncertainty surrounding Jimmy’s future with the team past this season because of his contract status. How is Jimmy handling that as he enters his sixth season with the Heat?

Bernie: “I think Jimmy showed through the preseason what his approach to this year is going to be. He’s done the work and now it’s time to put that work into action. It’s been well documented by Jimmy that he doesn’t care about the auxiliary things that come with a long and successful career as he has had, but I do. About a week from now we are going to see a statue unveiled for D. Wade that will be a moment in time for everyone who was a part of that journey to appreciate and reflect on. These are all things that I have always wanted for Jimmy and I’ve made that very clear to him. These are things that I want for Jimmy, in Miami, and I’ve made that clear to him and everyone else.

“During the course of Jimmy’s career he’s done some truly incredible things, and most importantly he’s learned from every failure. He has worked his way into becoming one of the best players in the league, and he has built a connection and appreciation with people who follow and observe the game that I see every day in the way they react and respond to him both in Miami and around the world. He has created something that is going to stand the test of time and will live way beyond his time in a uniform between the lines. But thankfully for me and everyone else right now, he is still in that uniform and he will be for the foreseeable future and there’s one major thing left. I have always said that before his career is over, he’s going to win a championship. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the story he and this group writes with the season ahead of them.”