It was earlier reported that Jimmy Butler will be seeking a max extension this summer. According to reports, it looks like the Miami Heat are willing to meet the 31-year-old's lofty demands.
As reported by Five Reasons Sports Network on Twitter, Pat Riley and the Heat front office appear to be in a position to give Butler the money he's asking for:
And this is a good time to mention:
It is my understanding, from several sources, that the Heat are prepared to offer Jimmy Butler the max extension when that comes to pass.
That will not be an issue.
— Five Reasons Sports (@5ReasonsSports) June 3, 2021
Butler's current deal with the Heat does not expire until the end of the 2022-23 season. However, he has a player option for that year, which means that if he so chooses, he could actually walk away from Miami as a free agent next summer. This is exactly why Miami will be looking to extend Butler's deal in the coming offseason.
In his recent end-of-season “State of the Heat” address, Riley touched on Butler's current contract situation. While the high-ranking team executive did not exactly reveal Miami's plans on that front, Riley seems to have hinted at the team's willingness to meet Butler's demands:
Pat Riley on if Jimmy Butler asks for 4-year max extension: “we haven’t really discussed that internally yet.” Says they will have a good conversation with Jimmy about that when the time comes. Explains that when you have a great player you know you have to pay them as such.
— Will Manso (@WillManso) June 3, 2021
Riley also mentioned that the team remains steadfast in terms of having Butler and Bam Adebayo as the key pieces of the team's core:
Pat Riley says despite the result of the Milwaukee series, which was he says was bad, they’re headed in the right direction. Adds, “We have a great core with Jimmy and Bam. Regardless of what they did in the playoffs, we didn’t make a mistake with them.”
— Will Manso (@WillManso) June 3, 2021
Riley and his front office did an outstanding job bringing Butler to Miami a couple of years ago. This move has paid dividends to the team and now with the benefit of hindsight, appears to have been a stroke of genius. Jimmy Butler seems to be a perfect fit with the Heat, and it looks like he's going to remain in Miami for a long time.
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