Jimmy Butler Reportedly Turned down a Max Contract Offer from the Rockets before Joining Miami

Published 12/10/2019, 12:31 AM EST

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Current Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler could have been in a Houston Rocket jersey had things gone otherwise when he hit free agency.

According to Tim McMahon of ESPN, the Rockets had offered a four-year max deal in an attempt to sign Butler. He also said that the Rockets were ready to give up on Clint Capela and Eric Gordon for trading in Butler.

“Look, the Houston Rockets wanted to pay Jimmy Butler the four-year max and he ghosted them,” said MacMahon on Brian Windhorst’s The Hoop Collective Podcast. “They thought they had them and he left them hanging.”

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“They had trades lined up, I don’t know the teams (or) the destinations, but they had trades lined up for (Clint) Capela and (Eric) Gordon. They were ready to pay Jimmy Butler. They really liked their chances and then suddenly, Jimmy had other thoughts.”

Butler, a four-time NBA All Star, had requested a trade from Philadelphia 76ers. The sixers eventually got Josh Richardson and draft compensation, and also added Al Horford to the roster.

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Things would have been quite different had Butler opted to go to Houston. Russel Westbrook then, might not have played alongside James Harden, which would have seen a different kind of team dynamics.

But it is not to be and Butler is now a Miami Heat player, and most recently the Eastern Conference player of the week.

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Jimmy Butler had started his NBA career with Chicago Bulls in 2011. After playing a limited number of games in the first season, he slowly picked up with his career. He went on to play six seasons for the Bulls. Later, he played a season each for Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers before joining Miami Heat.

He is enjoying a good time with the Heat, averaging 20.5 points per game, going into the third month of the season.

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Written by:

Saketh Kandadai

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