If Jimmy Butler hits free agency, rumor has it he’ll like Brooklyn

Jimmy Butler could follow in Paul George’s footsteps down an increasingly rare path: an All-NBA player hitting free agency. Butler is eligible for an extension and is expected to make $47.8 million this upcoming season with a $52.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season. When asked about that extension heading into this summer, Heat president Pat Riley said, “We don’t have to do that for a year. We haven’t discussed that internally, but we have to look at making that type of commitment.” He said the Heat would not trade Butler this offseason.

If Butler declines his option, he would become a free agent, but in a summer when contenders would not have cap space to sign him. Which brings us to this interesting note from Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.

Butler has reportedly decided he won’t play next season and won’t extend his contract with Miami prior to his 2025 opt-out. The chances of him picking up his player option are slim unless he agrees to a max deal with the Heat upfront. The six-time All-Star is the highest-scoring prospect on that roster other than James, and he likes Brooklyn, according to sources close to the player.

There is still a lot to be done here:

• The Heat are unlikely to give Butler a cap hit. After last season, Riley expressed frustration with players missing time, and Butler played in just 60 games and missed the Heat’s first-round playoff loss to the Heat. Riley will want to see how much Butler is on the court this season before throwing a huge number at him. Or does Riley see this as a time for the Heat to pivot around Bam Adebayo (which was secured with a three-year, $165.8 million extension)?

• Will Butler and his agent thoroughly survey the market and decide to extend the final year of his contract for $52.4 million?

• The Nets will be one of the teams in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes (a deep draft that features Ace Baily and Dylan Harper), and Brooklyn is going to struggle this season. The team will have cap space next summer, but if the plan is to start building around youth, will the Nets want to spend big on an aging star? Is that the quick fix they want?

• After the Heat’s season ends, whenever that may be, they will have an exclusive window to talk and agree to an extension with Butler. We’ll see where Miami and Butler are after the season, but the window will exist.

• It’s not impossible that Butler goes to the Nets, and Butler may like the idea, but a lot of things have to fall into place for that to happen.