After finalizing his new four-year, maximum contract extension over the weekend, All-NBA Heat swingman Jimmy Butler spoke about why he wanted to commit to Miami long-term, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
“They allow me to be me here, love who I am as a person and player,” Butler said of the Heat organization. “Love the guys I have an opportunity to hoop with. I think we’ll be a really good team. We’re consistently getting better, adding the right amount of vets to get over the hump and win a championship. It means everything to me to represent this great organization.”
Butler, who turns 32 in September, said that he wants to finish his career in Miami.
“It’s a place for me,” Butler said. “Teammates allow me to be me. When I’m wrong, they’re going to tell me I’m wrong. When I’m right they still probably tell me I’m wrong. I love them for that. Blessing to play with these guys and [head coach Erik Spoelstra] and [team president] Pat Riley.”
A four-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-Star, and five-time All-Defensive Team member while with the Bulls, Timberwolves and Heat (he did not earn any of these honors with his other NBA team, the Sixers), Butler showed no signs of slowing down during the 2020/21 regular season. He averaged 21.5 PPG on 49.7% shooting from the field and 86.3% from the free-throw line, as well as career-best averages of 7.1 APG, 6.9 RPG, and 2.1 SPG.
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- Hornets rookie power forward JT Thor was signed to a four-year deal, with the first two seasons guaranteed, using some of Charlotte’s cap space, reports Bobby Marks of ESPN (Instagram video link). The 18-year-old big man was selected with the No. 37 pick out of Auburn in this year’s draft.
- The young core of the rebuilding Magic – including rookie lottery picks Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner, along with second-year point guard Cole Anthony – is exhibiting encouraging signs of development during NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, writes Dan Savage of Magic.com. “It’s about them developing camaraderie, and their ability to just tie together and move forward growing together,” new head coach Jamahl Mosley said of the Summer League squad. “Just continuing to build off each other and for each other.”
- After having waived shooting guard Dwayne Bacon this weekend, the Magic project to have an open 15th roster spot, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. Robbins anticipates Orlando will probably leave this final roster spot available in case an opportunity arises for the team to take on an unwanted contract – along with a draft pick – into its sizable trade exception.
- New Wizards starting point guard Spencer Dinwiddie has several intriguing incentives in his three-year, $62MM deal with Washington, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype details (Twitter link). Dinwiddie will earn a $1.5MM bonus if he plays in 50+ games, $100K if the Wizards win a first-round playoff series, $571K should the Wizards make the Eastern Conference Finals, and $400K if the Wizards qualify for the NBA Finals. As Bobby Marks of ESPN (Instagram video link) first reported, Dinwiddie would net a scant $1 bonus for winning the NBA Finals. Marks added in the same video that the partial guarantee on Dinwiddie’s 2023/24 salary will become fully guaranteed if he plays in 50+ games during the 2022/23 season.
Dinwiddie bonus
$1.5 million if he plays 50+ games
$571K if team makes ECF
$400K if team makes NBA Finals
$100K if team makes 2nd round
$1 if team wins title
Why only $1 ?
crypto baby!
Because it’s not gonna happen
Players should already want that. It should be illegal to have team-based performance bonuses on individual contracts.
Hard to say even what side even wants them or why.
Your god awful Wrong.
The truth is Every career should have performance incentives including athletes, contractors, and dentists.
Disincentives work better… Incentives start to feel like regular payment… But the subject has grown large to include contractors & dentists, which would then spread to involve lawsuits. Incentives are best there probably…
That is a mind-mill.
Athletes who do NOT want to win, won’t, and the champions will be those who do, not people who want a little sweetener in next week’s check. That group is less deserving. It is potentially a bit insulting to offer bribes… But circumstances vary…
Don’t use the term “bribes” so loosely. It betrays your general ignorance, sir.
What’s wrong with Incentives feeling like a regular payment? Including unattainable ones
You act like you have some sanctimonious “honor code,” to scoff at incentives. It’s BS.
·It’s the normal BS then.
·If bonuses feel like regular payments, they lose their value as incentives.
·Bonuses being looked at as ‘bribes’ is a risk that has to be considered, as is the the poosibility of resentment from feeling they were NOT given fairly. (Or was that just me!)
But we seem to be confusing regular jobs to NBA jobs, with scoreboards and elimination playoffs and the built-in incentive of fame. Sports are different IMO.
If one can assume that there must be no bonus if none is mentioned in places like this, then in the vast majority of contracts, no bonuses were offered.
So there must be many GMs who say, we want to sift out the unmotivated ones.
Not sure it was Dinwiddie’s request but it might have been… He can tend to overthink a thing. Of course you might disagree!
Getting a guaranteed two yrs as a 2nd rd pick. Is a nice deal for a young fella. Kids got size and the name “Thor”. Two talented young bigs Hornets picked up in draft. Hornets imo had the best draft. MJ finally getting it right.
it’s not pronounced the way you think.
It’s spelled the right way.
yeah, i’m thor up on the pronunciation too.
Dinwiddie is going to have a big yr in Washington. He’s more a team oriented PG. Where Westbrook is more a scoring PG. He will help improve all the young guys gms. And run the offense first. I’m a Westbrook guy. But he’s better off in LA. And Dinwiddie is a better fit here.
What young guys’ games are going to be improved by Westbrook in LA exactly? He’ll be 33 in about three months and will still be one of the younger players on the team next season. The Lakers are historically old.
He’s talking about Dinwiddie Improving the young guys with the Wizards Rui Hachimura and Bryant etc.
He is more interested in criticizing than actually learning the NBA. Thanks for letting him
Know. It should be obvious to a basketball fan.
And Houston will be Historically bad. What’s your point?
Idk which extension will turn out to be the biggest albatross out of lebron , pg13 or butler ! My guess is all of the above they are all already declining some
Lebrons not going anywhere for at least 3 years bub
No sheet all those contracts are guaranteed! They are all declining players though ,
Butler had his best ever average in assists, rebounds & steals… clearly declining!
LBJ has had a season just like any of his other 17, quietly (injury aside) an MVP candidate… clearly declining as well!
PG13 has had as good a season as he has ever had, aside of his top one in OKC, not to say he was on fire on the playoffs… again clearly declining!!!
magic are running out a wolverines alumni team in sl. both wagners, teske, and iggy. this isn’t the tbt.
“When I’m wrong, they’re going to tell me I’m wrong.”
I’m sorry, but Jimmy Butler seems like he is one of the last players who would be ok with this.