Report: Jimmy Butler Expected to Tell Miami Officials He Wants to Play for Heat
Free agent guard Jimmy Butler is expected to meet with the Miami Heat and Houston Rockets when the official start of free agency arrives on Sunday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Saturday, but the Associated Press's Tim Reynold's reports Butler is expected to tell Miami officials Sunday night that he wishes to play for the Heat.
The New York Times' Marc Stein reportedButler will meet with Heat officials at 6:01 p.m. ET Sunday but he continues to draw interest from other teams. The Lakers have made the latest aggressive bid and are pushing for a pitch meeting.
According to Wojnarowski, Butler will meet with the Heat in South Florida on Sunday before traveling to Los Angeles to sit down with the Rockets. Although Butler entered the free agent market after declining his $19.8 million player option with the Sixers, Philadelphia has not ruled out working with the four-time All-Star on a potential sign-and-trade.
Butler has been Houston's "priority" this offseason since early in the week and the Rockets reportedly already have a trade partner in place to move Clint Capela if Butler is acquired. Capela's departure would be necessary to give Butler a four-year, $140 million contract. Butler could be offered a five-year, $190 million offer to stay in Philadelphia.
Butler is a four-time NBA All-Star, a four-time NBA All-Defensive Team honoree and a two-time All-NBA third-team selection.
The Rockets finished the season 53–29 before losing to the Warriors in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, while the Heat finished the season 39–43.
