Heat unsure about Butler extension, Riley says
MIAMI If Jimmy Butler wants to see more pay, Pat Riley will want to see more play. And in simple terms, that is the entry point to this off-season for the Miami Heat.
Butler is almost certainly going to ask the Heat for a two-year extension this summer — it could guarantee him as much as US$113 million for the 2025-26 and 202627 seasons. Riley said in his annual end-of-season remarks that he isn't sure what the team will do when that moment arrives.
“We have not discussed that internally right now,” Riley said. “We have to look at making that kind of commitment and when do we do it. We don't have to do it until 2025, actually.”
There are a number of factors the Heat will consider.
Butler turns 35 in September and has missed 100 regular-season games in his five Miami seasons, sitting out nearly 26 per cent of the time.
He missed Miami's five-game Round 1 playoff loss to Boston.
“That's a big decision on our part to commit those kinds of resources unless you have somebody who's going to be there and available every single night,” Riley said. “That's the truth.”
The Heat have 268 total wins in Butler's five seasons and have made two NBA Finals appearances. But Riley didn't shy away from doling out criticism.
Butler, speaking this past weekend at a Formula One race in Miami Gardens, said “if I was playing, Boston would be at home, New York damn sure would ... be at home.”
Riley didn't seem to like that much. “I thought, `Is that Jimmy trolling or is that Jimmy serious?' If you're not on the court playing against Boston or ... the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut on the criticism of those teams,” Riley said.