The Heat have not been as lucky this season as they were last season due to injury problems, losing 4-1 to the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
On May 7, Heat president Pat Riley spoke to reporters about some issues with the team's core players.
1. Butler renews his contract
The 35-year-old has two years left on his contract, with a player option in the final year, and the team is eligible for an early extension this summer.
Recently, Butler's brokerage team has signaled that it hopes to complete an early extension of the contract with a maximum salary of 2 years and 113 million this summer.
Riley said on the subject: "If he's going to get a max salary, we need to think about it, but he has two years left on his contract. It's a big deal for us to get a max salary extension unless the guy is able to play every night. ”
Riley's implication is that he won't renew Butler's contract this summer!
In addition, he was dissatisfied with Butler's attendance this season, playing in 60 games this season, averaging 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5 assists per game, and all statistics were down from last season.
Coupled with the fact that he is getting older and the hidden dangers of injury and illness are highlighted, Riley, who is good at careful calculations, will not take risks to spend money in vain.
2. Hiro's attendance
Speaking about Herro's performances this season, Riley said: "He's only played 42 games this season and he's been a bit brittle. He may need to reach another level in terms of nutrition. He had to make some adjustments. He needs to play every game. ”
Riley's patience with Herro is almost to the limit, and in the summer of 2022, the Heat and Herro completed a four-year, 130 million early contract extension.
But in the two seasons after his contract was renewed, he was plagued by injuries one after another and missed a lot of games.
After missing the entire playoffs last season, the Heat ultimately missed a three-point firepower in the Finals and missed out on the championship.
Missing 40 regular season games this season caused the Heat's record to slip to 8th place in the West, and finally lost to the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, and the team went out early.
Whether it's Butler or Herro, or even the rest of the Heat's players, in Riley's mind, if this player can't guarantee attendance, his value will be greatly reduced.
As a result, Riley will be watching to see how the Heat perform next season, and if Butler is still struggling with injuries and his form is slipping, and Herro can't afford to play more than 65 games, the Heat may be able to rebuild completely.