it’s has been done: Jimmy Butler announces his acceptance for contract extension with the Miami Heat with a condition been that….
The busy part of the NBA offseason is still about a month away. But the noise surrounding Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler’s situation continues to grow louder. With Butler seeking a maximum two-year contract extension worth about $113 million from the Heat this offseason, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Tuesday that the Philadelphia 76ers “are prepared to give Butler a maximum-salary extension if things align and he forces a trade out of Miami.” Pompey added that the 76ers “view [Butler] as a fallback option if they are unable to sign Paul George in free agency
Along with the 76ers, according to league sources, there are two other teams that have made it known in league circles that they would be willing to trade for Butler and sign him to a max-level contract. Butler turns 35 on Sept. 14.
Despite the outside interest, Butler and his agent Bernie Lee have repeatedly made it clear — publicly and privately — that he wants to spend the rest of his NBA career with the Heat.
But choosing not to offer Butler a max extension this offseason could derail those plans, especially with other teams seemingly willing to fulfill his request. The two-year max extension that Butler and his camp will push for this offseason includes salaries of $54.3 million for the 2025-26 season (nearly a $2 million increase from the player option that it would replace in Butler’s current contract for that season) and $58.6 million for the 2026-2027 season when Butler will be 37 years old.
He’s already under contract with the Heat on a $48.8 million salary for next season. So essentially, Butler will ask the Heat to replace the two years and $101.2 million remaining on his contract (should he exercise the 2025-26 player option) with a three-year commitment worth $161.7 million.
While a few other teams appear to have interest in signing Butler to a max-level contract in his mid-30s, Heat president Pat Riley was noncommittal earlier this month when asked if the Heat would give Butler that extension this offseason.
The Heat can begin formally discussing the extension with Butler on the day after the last game of the NBA Finals, which could be as early as June 15 or as late as June 24. The window for the Heat to sign Butler to the two-year max extension opens July 7 and closes next year on June 30, 2025.
