On Saturday, August 7, Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler signed a lucrative contract extension that will keep him in South Florida through 2026.
Butler remains the on-court personification of Heat Culture, a tough, gritty, no-matter-the-cost player focused solely on winning.
That mantle of leadership has passed from Alonzo Mourning, to Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem, ultimately now to Butler.
A 10-year veteran, Butler has averaged 17.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists throughout his career.
He’s a five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA performer, including in both his years with the Heat.
As the franchise retools around the All-Star, Butler stands as the right man to lead Miami back to the NBA Finals.
All-Star G Jimmy Butler has signed a four-year, $184M extension to stay with the Miami Heat, his agent Bernie Lee tells ESPN. Butler will be locked into the deal — with a player option — through 2025-2026.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 7, 2021
Shared Commitment Between Butler And The Heat
The extension Butler signed couples with the original four-year, $141 million deal he inked when joining the Heat as part of a complicated four-team trade back in July of 2019.
Butler immediately assumed a leadership role and helped navigate the team to its sixth Eastern Conference Championship.
Injuries sabotaged the Heat’s NBA Finals run that season, as the team ultimately fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
Butler, though, remains the face of the franchise.
He’ll make upwards of $220 million from Miami over the next five years.
He called the decision to sign the extension an “easy” one.
“They allow me to be me here, love who I am as a person and player,” Butler said Saturday as the deal was announced.
The Heat embrace Butler’s brash attitude and the toughness he exudes on the court.
“With Jimmy, we get an All-NBA player, an All-NBA Defensive player, tough as nails and a complete player across the board,” said Heat President Pat Riley.
"This is the place for me… It’s a blessing to be able to represent this organization, to play alongside these guys and for Coach Spo and Coach Pat." – @JimmyButler
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) August 7, 2021
Heat Reshapes Roster Around Butler
The Heat believe Butler is the man to lead the charge back to the NBA Finals.
Following a first-round sweep at the hands of the NBA’s eventual champions, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Heat reshaped the roster to one more closely resembling Butler’s image.
As part of this roster retooling, the Heat acquired six-time All-Star guard Kyle Lowry from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Goran Dragić and Precious Achiuwa.
Lowry and Butler have a long history and close friendship.
Lowry is even the godfather of Butler’s daughter.
Butler’s no-nonsense approach fits perfectly with Lowry, as well as the team’s other offseason additions.
The Heat brought in P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris to supplement their front court with a pair of tough defenders.
Duncan Robinson re-signed and Bam Adebayo, fresh off his gold medal with Team USA, sees his five-year extension kick in this season as well.
Miami brought back Dewayne Dedmon, another stout defender.
The Heat took a flier on Victor Oladipo, who is still rehabbing a knee injury.
Butler, though, will be the unquestioned leader of this team.
Despite his age (32 in September), Butler is coming off arguably his best season as a pro.
He averaged a team-leading 21.5 points, a team-leading 7.1 assists, 6.9 rebounds. and an NBA-leading 2.08 steals.
NEXT: Victor Oladipo Smart To Get Signed Amid Recovery