Jimmy Butler is coming off another excellent season.
However, he got injured and did not play in the NBA playoffs.
Speculation about Butler’s future has begun, as the six-time All-Star can become a free agent as soon as next summer (he has a player-option in his contract).
Apr 29, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) comments on the game from the bench during the first quarter of game four of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs, against the Boston Celtics, at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Michael Laughlin-USA TODAY Sports / Michael Laughlin-USA TODAY Sports
Recently, Keith Pompey ofThe Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Philadelphia 76ers would be interested in giving Butler a significant contract extension if they acquired him in a trade.
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Via Pompey: “Sources: #Sixers prepared to give Jimmy Butler maximum extension if Miami Heat star is traded”
Sources: #Sixers prepared to give Jimmy Butler maximum extension if Miami Heat star is traded https://t.co/MnbCvYIK3n via @phillyinquirer
Via Chiang: “Jimmy Butler wants a max extension this offseason, preferably from the Heat. But whether it’s from the Heat or another team, he wants a max extension.
Or Butler can become a free agent by declining his player option next offseason and look for a max contract then.”
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Jimmy Butler wants a max extension this offseason, preferably from the Heat. But whether it’s from the Heat or another team, he wants a max extension.
Or Butler can become a free agent by declining his player option next offseason and look for a max contract then. https://t.co/RIX8nXrvmt
Butler has been an excellent fit with Miami so him potentially not ending his career with the franchise would be a surprise.
He finished the 2023-24 season with averages of 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals per contest while shooting 49.9% from the field and 41.1% from the three-point range in 60 games.
Apr 9, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives past Atlanta Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter (12) in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
That said, the Heat struggled without him in the playoffs and lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round (in five games).
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Butler has led the Heat to the NBA Finals two times since joining the franchise in the summer of 2019.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Lionel Messi scored twice in a four-goal second half, defender Telasco Segovia added a goal and two assists and defending champion Inter Miami CF rallied to beat Orlando City SC 4-2 on Sunday night, winning for the first time at Inter&Co Stadium.
Messi took a pass from Segovia and scored in the 57th minute to tie it 2-2, and Segovia scored unassisted in the 85th for the lead. Messi put the finishing touch on the victory when he scored off a free kick in the 90th.
“The victory belongs exclusively to the players,” Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the game. “In the second half, they were a championship team. There were no tactics, nothing like that. There was heart, courage, possession, resilience, commitment. I think the team came out because they were champions last year.
“In the end, the players showed it. This victory is theirs.”
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Messi’s first two goals of the season give him 52 in his first 55 regular-season MLS matches — 51 of them in his past 49 appearances. It also brought the reigning MLS MVP to 898 career goals scored, including 672 for Barcelona and 115 for Argentina.
“He’s the best player to ever play this sport. He’s a leader, and as a leader, he inspires others, but he also often needs to be inspired himself,” Mascherano said of Messi. “When he was driving forward, he had more attacking options, and with so many opportunities, he clearly has the ability to create chances like no one else, and that’s what allowed us to turn the game around.”
Marco Pašalić took a pass from Iván Angulo and scored in the 18th minute to give Orlando City a 1-0 lead. Pašalić has scored in four straight matches against Inter Miami.
Inter Miami players celebrate after scoring a goal against Orlando City in MLS.
Defender Griffin Dorsey set up Martín Ojeda for a goal six minutes later for a 2-0 advantage that stood through halftime.
Inter Miami cut it to 2-1 four minutes into the second half on Mateo Silvetti’s first career goal. Defenders Segovia and Facundo Mura had assists as the 20-year-old forward found the net in his fifth career appearance.
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Segovia had eight goals and six assists as a rookie last season, while Mura collected his first assist in his first season.
Dayne St. Clair, the reigning goalkeeper of the year, turned away three shots — all in the second half of his second start with Inter Miami, but let in a soft goal for Orlando’s first.
Maxime Crépeau had four saves in his second start for Orlando City.
Teenager Colin Guske, 19, will miss Orlando City’s next match after the rookie picked up two yellow cards in his first start — the second one led to his exit in the 88th minute.
Inter Miami, which had never won in its previous nine trips to Orlando, was coming off a 3-0 road loss to LAFC.
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Orlando City swept Inter Miami during the regular season last year and leads the all-time series 8-7-4.
Inter Miami plays D.C. United on Saturday at Audi Field. Orlando City is also on the road with a match against New York City FC.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this recap.
Rain floods Miami Beach streets, cut short Miami Heat Family Festival
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Much-needed rain fell across South Florida on Sunday, but the downpour quickly led to flooding and traffic headaches.
“The drainage systems aren’t the best but in ten minutes it will be gone,” one person said.
The rain lasted longer than 10 minutes, flooding several spots along Collins Avenue in Miami Beach.
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In one neighborhood, at least a foot of water blocked the entrance. Drivers who attempted to pass through sent waves crashing onto nearby sidewalks.
The heavy rain also snarled traffic on parts of Interstate 95 and on the bridges to and from Miami Beach, slowing drivers trying to get around the area.
“It’s Miami for you. What do they call it, a sun shower?” one driver said.
The weather disrupted Sunday plans for many. The 26th annual Miami Heat Family Festival was cut short after strong winds swept through Dan Paul Plaza, knocking over several tents.
There is no word yet on how or when the Miami Heat plan to make up the family festival.
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Brett Knese
Brett Knese joined the Local 10 News team as a general assignment reporter in March 2025.
Jack and Jill of America’s Miami chapter closed out Black History Month with an inaugural “Roots Across Waters” trip to Nassau, where families explored ancestral sites, honored the Bahamian labor that helped build early Miami, and donated Afro‑Caribbean children’s books to local students.