Now that the Miami Heat’s season has ended after being defeated in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, the focus shifts to the key draft, trade, and free agency questions that must be addressed this offseason. However, one of the most pressing questions for the Heat this summer concerns one of its finest players.
Butler signed a three-year, $146.4 million agreement with the Heat in the 2021 summer, which includes a guaranteed $48.8 million salary for next season and a $52.4 million player option for 2025-26. Butler’s proposed extension would replace his option for 2025-26 and begin that season. This two-year max agreement would feature salaries of $54.3 million for the 2025-26 season, approximately a $2 million increase from the player option on Butler’s existing contract for that season, and $58.6
million for the 2026-2027 season, when Butler will turn 37. These figures may fluctuate depending on where the NBA’s salary cap is set for various seasons. Butler is limited to a two-year extension because the over-38 rule prevents him from signing a new contract that would take him beyond the next three years, including the one season of guaranteed money left on his present contract.
