Jimmy Butler shocked everyone in the NBA when he appeared at the Miami Heat media day with no unique hairstyle, something he had been doing for a few years. Butler himself noted that he chose not to do so as he didn't want to cause any problems or stir up any shenanigans this year.
"I'm here, normal hair, no shenanigans. That's all I got. I don't even know, my mind isn't all the way, anywhere right now. I've been running around trying to make it back here."
Some fans speculated that this decision from Butler to avoid the antics of the past may have to do with his contract status. Butler is entering into a contract year and will be a free agent next summer. He might be targeting a big payday from the Heat, so he decided to take the no-nonsense approach this year.
Butler and Miami Heat president Pat Riley were seemingly at odds last summer after Riley slammed Butler for his comments about beating the Boston Celtics if he was healthy. Butler didn't give a public response to Riley's comments, but one can imagine he wasn't happy about the president of his franchise coming at him like that.
Butler has been a great signing for the Miami Heat in the five years he has been with the team. Since joining in 2019, Butler has taken the Miami Heat to three Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA Finals.
While the Heat are yet to win a championship, the fact that Butler got as much out of them without a reliable, star-level teammate is truly impressive.
This year, Butler will be hoping to have a career year to earn what could be the last massive payday of his career. But that may not be from the Miami Heat, as other teams are interested.
Is Jimmy Butler's Future With The Nets?
Jimmy Butler could be out of the Heat regardless of how well he plays for them this season. The Heat are not expected to have a strong year in the East, considering the competitive nature of the conference with the emergence of the Knicks and the 76ers as title contenders, along with the Bucks, Magic, and Cavaliers as strong teams.
Recently, it was reported that the Brooklyn Nets were looking to target Jimmy Butler during free agency. As the team heads into a rebuild with presumably a high lottery pick in next year's draft, they could be adding a veteran All-Star caliber player to help shepherd the team through this turbulent period.
Reports suggested that Butler was open to moving to the Nets due to a former teammate of his. One can also assume another one of Butler's motivations would be playing in New York, which is a big goal for a lot of NBA players, regardless of whether it is for the Knicks or the Nets.
So if the Heat don't look to re-sign Butler to the kind of deal he is looking for, he might be donning the black and white of the Nets next season alongside a young prospect in the NBA.
