It’s no secret the impact star Jimmy Butler has on the Miami Heat, but his influence is now gaining recognition league-wide.

NBA analyst Brian Windhorst of ESPN listed Butler as one of the NBA’s most important people for the upcoming season on The Hoop Collective.

“Im going to say Jimmy Butler, another player going into the last year of his contract, sounds like he had brief discussions with the Heat about a contract extension,” Windhorst said. “So Jimmy is highly motivated to have a big year, he’s 35. The Heat finished 8th the last two years and two years that have been plagued with injuries. Their big investment, Tyler Herro, has had a lot of injuries in that time.”

As Windhorst noted, the six-time All-Star holds more motivation than ever. Butler is looking to prove worthy of a maximum contract extension despite the weighty amount of miles on him, especially from his tenure with the Chicago Bulls.

“It’s fertile ground for Jimmy to have a big year to try to get one last big contract from the Heat,” Windhorst shared. “The Heat have shown throughout the [Pat] Riley years when they think it’s time and they will pay players.”

The decision is not only in the hands of Miami’s front office, as Butler could decide to head elsewhere next offseason.

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Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on X @AnthonyPasci.

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