Miami Heat might technically still have time to come to a decision regarding Jimmy Butler. But Jimmy has no plans to leave his future up to fate, it would seem. The franchise and its veteran have yet to stamp his extended stay paperwork in South Beach. Sure, the man hits free agency in 2025, but with them at odds and the rift with Pat Riley, JB might just take his talents elsewhere. Per Kenny Beecham (KOT4Q) and the Numbers on the Board crew, Miami’s Easter Conference rivals, Brooklyn Nets are quite interested in the 6x All-Star and vice versa.

The Nets had already made their intention for their future clear with the Mikal Bridges trade – a rebuild. And they already have a bevy of first-round picks at their disposal. More specifically, six unprotected future first-round draft picks between 2025 and 2031, plus an unprotected pick swap from the Knicks in 2028. This alone gives them close to 4 first-round picks next year! So, why Jimmy Butler?

“So Brooklyn’s idea is that their rebuild is this year or next year. Two max cap spots, just like the same thing with Kevin Durant. We suck, we get Cooper Flagg or Ace Bailey or whoever it may be. We go and we become buyers and now we got this young talent and we can put together like a star around them is the idea,” Beecham explained on his show.

And then what? Will the Nets be done? According to KOT4Q, nope. They are just getting started. “Let’s be awful this year. Let’s win 10 total games. Hopefully win the lottery and I pull the Detroit Pistons and fall to number five every year and then go get a guy and then use that guy to help go get a like a 1A, 1B kind of guy. And just be decent again,” Kenny added.

The rest of the group nodded their assent to the possible scenario, only worrying about the execution. After all, the Nets do have all the tools at their disposal, nobody can deny that.

The Nets could very well accommodate Jimmy Butler and his wishes, after Pat Riley’s dart at his own player

Well, for one, we do know that “Playoff Jimmy” is looking for a sizeable contract extension with Miami. He has been eligible for a 2-year extension up to $112.9 million with the Heat since July 7. However, an MCL sprain sidelined him for the postseason. And the Heat lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.

The hilarious side to it was Pat Riley’s response to Butler’s comment that Miami would have easily beat the Celtics had he been available. “I thought, ‘Is that Jimmy trolling or is that Jimmy serious?'” 

However, what he said next showed that Riley wasn’t too keen on further discussion until Jimmy Butler showed that he was worth it. “If you’re not on the court playing against Boston or on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut on the criticism of those teams.”

As per Shams Charania, the 6’7 forward already decided to play out this season under his current contract. Since his move to Miami, Butler hasn’t played more than 64 games. So, he does have a chance to show Riley and the org that he is deserving of the deal he has on his mind. But with Brooklyn, he wouldn’t have to worry about the finer details, because, for one, they are projected to have around $70 million in cap space next summer.

Another incentive for him to move to New York is his business interests. He does spend a lot of time in NYC during the offseason, not to mention his social media partnership with Van Leeuwen, the NY-based ice cream chain. Hence, Jimmy Butler to the Nets does make a lot of sense on paper. But how it can all play out is something we’ll have to wait and see.

Well, what do you make of it? Does Butler in a Nets uniform make sense? Or would it be better for Brooklyn to look elsewhere for star power? Let us know in the comments.

 Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.