Jimmy Butler wants a new contract. Heat have concerns
Tensions seem to be rising between the Miami Heat and their best player after the team was sent home early from the playoffs last week.
Why it matters: All-Star forward Jimmy Butler is seeking a contract extensionthis offseason, per the Miami Herald.
- But team leadership has expressed concerns over his availability to play in games and recent comments about the team's playoff defeat.
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The latest: At a press conference this week, Heat president Pat Riley said the team was not presently considering trading Butler but had not discussed extending his contract either, per The Athletic.
Riley DID qualify that immediately after answering a direct question, “No.”
- "That's a big decision on our part to commit those kinds of resources unless you're somebody who's really going to be there, available every single night," Riley said. "That's the truth."
- Riley said player availability across the roster is the team's biggest issue, though he emphasized he wasn't accusing players of missing games when healthy.
- Butler, 34, is expected to request a two-year contract extension worth about $113 million this summer, per the Herald, but Riley said the team doesn't have to act until 2025.
- "The thought that Jimmy is picking and choosing when to play isn't reality," Lee said.
The other side: Butler's agent, Bernie Lee, said the 22 games Butler missed last season were all for "valid issues and concerns," per the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
