Pat Riley addresses Jimmy Butler’s future with the Heat
As the Miami Heat head into the offseason, the franchise holds lingering questions concerning star forward Jimmy Butler’s long-term future.
Butler is eligible for a two-year extension worth up to $113 million, which he is expected to strongly push to sign.
However, Heat president Pat Riley said this week that the team doesn’t feel any urgency about completing a new deal with their star forward.
“We have not discussed that internally right now,” Riley said via ESPN. “We have to look at making that kind of commitment and when do we do it. We don’t have to do it until 2025, actually. But we’ll see. We haven’t made a decision on it, and we haven’t really in earnest discussed it.”
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Butler is entering the second year of his three-year, $146.3 million extension, which includes a $52.4 million player option for the 2025-26 campaign.
Since arriving in Miami, Butler has been firmly entrenched as the team’s primary offensive factor, especially in the playoffs. However, he’s struggled to stay on the court during his tenure.
Butler has missed 100 regular-season games while he’s turning 35 in September. He’s coming off playing in 60 games and missing the playoffs due to injury.
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Butler hasn’t played more than 64 regular season games in any of his first campaigns in Miami.
Riley made it clear he wants to see the six-time All-Star prove he can stay healthy before paying him.
“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,” Riley said. “That’s the truth.”
