Miami Heat: Grading their signings in NBA free agency

Miami Heat offseason signing No. 9: Jimmy Butler

What Jimmy Butler has done during his time in the NBA is nothing short of amazing. He went from a deep bench player in his rookie year to one of the best players in the game. Not bad for a player taken with the 30th pick in the 2011 NBA draft.

What Butler has done is taken every single opportunity presented to him and made the most of it. He first rose to prominence when the then Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose was unable to play due to injury in the 2013-14 season.

Rose played 10 games but Butler started all 67 games he played and was at the top of the NBA for minutes player. The next season Butler led the league in minutes played and supplanted Rose as the team leader. Since coming to the Heat, Butler has demanded the best from himself and his teammates which is synonymous with the team’s first-rate culture.

The Heat locked in their leader until the end of the 2025-26 season, guaranteeing that if Butler stays healthy they will be relevant in the East for at least that time. The size of the three-year, $145 million contract extension is a little risky given that Butler has missed 15 games a season. This is with the exception of his second season and the last one he played with the Bulls in 2016-17.

Grade: A