All-Star guard Jimmy Butler says he wants to end his NBA career with the Miami Heat, but what he plans to do after that may surprise you.
Butler says he'd be up for playing for Flamengo in Brazil's premier basketball league (Novo Basquete Brasil) when his days with the Heat are over, per Rohan Nadkarni of GQ:
“I mean, yeah. In the NBA? For sure,” said Butler when asked if he wanted the Heat to be his final NBA stop. “But then after that, I really do want to play for Flamengo. I tell everybody, I'm half-Brazilian.”
The 34-year-old Butler has one more year left on his contract with the Hear. He can then pick up a 2025-26 player option for $52.4 million or choose to become a free agent.
On Monday, team president Pat Riley spoke to reporters and held his end-of-season press conference to discuss the state of the organization. Butler was obviously a hot topic of discussion, and Riley made the franchise's stance on their superstar and a possible extension very clear.
“We don't have to do that for a year,” Riley said. “We have not discussed that internally right now, but we have to look at making that kind of commitment.”
Riley went on to say that if Butler were to request a max extension, the team would have the ability to either accept or say that they would “think about it.” Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Riley's press conference on Monday was his answer to whether the team would consider trading the All-Star in the offseason amid recent rumors. This was met with a very clear and quick, “No.”
There is also the issue of the back-and-forth going on between Riley and Butler's camp. While it could be nothing, the incidents are more public than usual between a star player and team president.
So, while Butler would like to retire from the NBA with the Heat, there's no guarantee that it will actually happen.
At least Flamengo will be there waiting.
Heat eliminated in first-round of NBA Playoffs
The Miami Heat officially saw their 2023-24 season come to a disappointing end with a blowout road loss at the hands of the Boston Celtics last Wednesday, putting the cap in a 4-1 series defeat.
The Heat were given virtually no shot by anyone in this series, as they were taking on the best team in the NBA in the Celtics and doing so without the services of their best two playmakers in Terry Rozier and Butler.
It's always hard to judge what the future holds for a team that was predictably decimated after being hit with a brutal case of the injury bug at the worst time. But that hasn't stopped speculation on what the team will do this offseason. Whether they run it back for another go with a presumably healthy Butler and Rozier or blow it up and start fresh is anyone's guess.
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