The absence of a Jimmy Butler extension is threatening to torpedo the Miami Heat season.
Butler, a six-time All-Star, is “more probable” to demand a trade after the Heat did not offer him an extension this offseason, Yahoo Sports’ Tom Haberstroh predicted on “The Kevin O’Connor Show” on October 8.
“Jimmy Butler is one of those larger-than-life personalities that can be great … [and then] gets really tiring, and people start to tune him out,” Haberstroh said.
And if the Heat get off to a poor start, the Butler extension question could get “ugly fast,” he said, in the same way Butler left the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2018.
“He is a dude that is going to walk into every locker room, and you’re going to feel him every single time,” Haberstroh said of Butler. “And so I think when you talk about Jimmy Butler and what the Miami Heat could get for him, I do think that you might have this, get this game of chicken between Jimmy Butler and [team president] Pat Riley, two of the most proud personalities, large personalities. … I do feel like Pat Riley and Jimmy Butler, if they’re not right, it’s gonna be ugly fast.”
Pat Riley Told Jimmy Butler to ‘Keep Your Mouth Shut’
Butler’s larger-than-life personality was on full display when he talked smack about the eventual champion Boston Celtics and their arch-rival, the New York Knicks, during the 2024 playoffs.
The Heat lost to the Celtics in five games in the first round of the playoffs. They lost the chance to face an injury-riddled Knicks team when Butler exited their play-in match against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Knicks dispatched the 76ers in six games in the opening round.
“If I was playing, Boston would be at home. New York damn sure would be [expletive] at home,” Butler said on May 4.
Two days later, on May 6, Heat president Pat Riley admonished Butler during his end-of-season press conference.
“For him to say that, I thought, is that Jimmy trolling or is that Jimmy [being] serious?” Riley told reporters. “If you’re not on the court, playing against Boston, or you’re not on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut in your criticism of those teams.”
Shape Up or Get Shipped Out
Riley said at the time the Heat were not going to extend Butler, 35, this offseason.
“We don’t have to do that for a year,” Riley said. “And so, we have not discussed that internally right now, but we have to look at that, making that kind of commitment.”
Riley repeatedly talked about players’ availability during his 43-minute presser, including blasting the NBA’s 65-game eligibility rule, which he believes sent the players and their agents a message that “it’s OK to miss 17 games” in the regular season.
Butler has never played more than 64 games in the regular season since moving to Miami in 2019.
In response, Butler went into the team’s media day with a serious outlook, a stark contrast to the previous seasons when he showed up with dreadlocks in 2022 and a rock star emo look in 2023.
“No shenanigans,” Butler told reporters.
“I always want to hoop, always want to compete with my guys,” Butler added. “I hear [Riley].
Riley even shared he had already discussed Butler’s availability with the star’s agent.
“I see what he’s talking about,” Butler added. “I’m going to play as many games as I can.”
Jimmy Butler Exceeded Expectations in Miami
Haberstroh said Butler’s strong personality will have to factor in when teams are going to trade for him on top of a new contract going into his late 30s.
“When you look at the contract, it’s going to be tough to be able to find a suitor for that personality because he’s not just a guy,” Haberstroh said. ” He’s not Khris Middleton out here where you can plug and play and just expect high-level performance.”
But if this season could be the end of the Butler era in Miami, it exceeded expectations when they acquired him after a one-year stop in Philadelphia from Minnesota.
“That doesn’t mean that the Jimmy Butler experiment was not a success,” Haberstroh said. “It was two [NBA] Finals appearances. … It’s incredible.”
