Jimmy Butler has publicly revealed a surprising plan to the Heat following Erik Spoelstra’s decision not to sign him again.
All-Star guard Jimmy Butler says he wants to end his NBA career with the Miami Heat, but what he plans to do after that may surprise you.
Butler claims he’d be interested in playing for Flamengo in Brazil’s elite basketball league (Novo Basquete Brasil) after his time with the Heat is up, according to Rohan Nadkarni of GQ.
“I mean, yes. In the NBA? “For sure,” Butler answered when asked if he wants the Heat to be his final NBA stop. “But after that, I genuinely want to play for Flamengo.” I tell everyone that I’m half-Brazilian.
Butler, 34, has one year left on his deal with the Hear. He may then exercise his $52.4 million player option for 2025-26 or become a free agent.
On Monday, team president Pat Riley spoke to reporters and held his end-of-season press conference to discuss the state of the organization. Butler was obviously a hot topic of discussion, and Riley made the franchise’s stance on their superstar and a possible extension very clear.
“We don’t have to do that for a year,” Riley said. “We have not discussed that internally right now, but we have to look at making that kind of commitment.”
Riley went on to explain that if Butler requested a maximum deal, the team would have the option of accepting it or saying they would “think about it.” Riley’s news conference on Monday provided insight into whether the organization would contemplate trading the All-Star over the offseason, which has been a topic of speculation. This was met with a firm and swift “No.”
There’s also the back-and-forth between Riley and Butler’s camp. While the incidents between a star player and the team president may not be significant, they are more public than usual.
So, while Butler would like to retire from the NBA with the Heat, there’s no guarantee that it will actually happen.
At least Flamengo will be there waiting
The Miami Heat officially saw their 2023-24 season come to a disappointing end with a blowout road loss at the hands of the Boston Celtics last Wednesday, putting the cap in a 4-1 series defeat.
The Heat were given virtually no shot by anyone in this series, as they were taking on the best team in the NBA in the Celtics and doing so without the services of their best two playmakers in Terry Rozier and Butler.
It’s always hard to judge what the future holds for a team that was predictably decimated after being hit with a brutal case of the injury bug at the worst time. But that hasn’t stopped speculation on what the team will do this offseason. Whether they run it back for another go with a presumably healthy Butler and Rozier or blow it up and start fresh is anyone’s guess.
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