NBA Rumors: A surprising rebuilding team could pivot and emerge as a strong suitor for Jimmy Butler when he hits free agency next summer.
One of the oddest storylines that emerged this offseason revolved around the fact that Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat weren't able to reach a contract extension. For a fit that seemed near perfect, it does seem as if Jimmy's future in Miami is very much up in the air. Short of an unexpected extension getting reached in-season, all signs point to Jimmy preparing to opt-out to hit the open free-agent market next summer.
And if that does end up happening, Jimmy should have a strong free-agency market. On the surface, you'd expect contending teams, in addition to the Heat, to be interested in Jimmy if he were to hit the open market. However, according to a recent report, there is another option that could come across Jimmy's desk next offseason.
According to a recent report, the Brooklyn Nets could emerge as somewhat of a surprising offseason destination for Jimmy next summer. Whether Jimmy would entertain Brooklyn remains to be seen but perhaps they could be an early possible destination heading into next offseason.
Buy or sell the Jimmy to Brooklyn rumor?
This could be a difficult rumor to process considering the Nets appear to be pivoting toward a full-blown rebuild and the fact that while they may have plenty of money to spend, Jimmy doesn't make a ton of sense as a target. Even though we've seen such odds moves in the past, this could be more of Jimmy and his agent using the Nets as leverage.
Then again, trying to gain leverage this early could be odd to see. However, without much more information, I'd lean toward that being the case more than anything. Could next summer arrive with the Nets pushing hard to try to sign Jimmy? Sure. A signing of Jimmy could help with selling tickets and he'd be an intriguing star to add to their rebuilding team. I just don't see how it makes much sense from a building perspective.
Nevertheless, as we inch closer to the start of the new season, I'd imagine these types of stories or "reports" involving Jimmy, especially with his uncertain future with the Heat, are going to be more frequent. As the months continue to go by, we should get a stronger understanding of what Jimmy's market could end up looking like next summer.