November 16, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) looks to pass the ball as Brooklyn Nets center Day'Ron Sharpe (20) defends in the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

November 16, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) looks to pass the ball as Brooklyn Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe (20) defends in the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

THE Brooklyn Nets are entering the first year of their current reconstruction after having carried out exchanges with the The New York Knicks And Houston Rockets earlier this summer to prepare for a productive rebuild. However, there is one player who could soon be looking for a new home and wouldn’t mind coming to Brooklyn.

“(Jimmy) Butler is not only open to Brooklyn, but he likes it, sources told The Post,” Brian Lewis of the New York Post wrote in his recent letter regarding some of the pressing questions surrounding the Nets right now (h/t NetsDaily). This isn’t the first time this news has come up as Lewis reported earlier this month that Butler liked the Nets amid his own uncertainty over his potential future with the Miami Heat.

“He’s not a Nets player and he may never come close to being one. But to dismiss that possibility out of hand is foolish,” Lewis wrote. The reason all of this is worth considering is that Butler has a $52.4 a $1 million player option for the 2025-26 season, so if he really wanted to test free agency next summer, he could.

While some of the talk surrounding the situation may be exaggerated to some extent, there appears to be some tension between Heat president Pat Riley and Butler after the six-time All-Star missed the playoffs last season due to an ACL injury. There has also been no mention of Miami being in extension talks with Butler, per Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Earlier this summer, Butler’s intention was to play out his current contract regardless of whether he was traded or not.

Butler will be 35 when training camp begins later this month, and unless the Nets aren’t as bad as expected this season, there doesn’t seem to be much sense in signing Butler, even if he does like Brooklyn. Butler’s affection for Brooklyn shouldn’t be completely dismissed because of how well he’s played, but it could be something that occupies the Nets’ minds as the season progresses.

This article was originally published on Nets Wire: Report: Heat’s Jimmy Butler favors Nets among potential FAs

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