The Brooklyn Nets might be the team that controls the 2025 offseason. The Nets possess their own first-round pick in the 2025 draft and project to have enough cap space to sign a star, or even two. One star Brooklyn is rumored to land is former Ben Simmons teammate and Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler.
In late August, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reported Butler as the most accomplished on the Nets' list of potential targets. More importantly, Lewis noted that Butler "likes" Brooklyn, per his Aug. 31 members-only article. The rumblings around Butler coming to the borough have grown even louder, and Ben Simmons finds himself as a potential draw for the Heat star, according to this Nets insider:
"Jimmy Butler's interest in the Brooklyn Nets is very, very real. Part of it is New York, part of it is that Bernie Lee, who is Ben Simmons' agent, is very happy with how his client has been dealt with by the Nets," NetsDaily Editor in Chief Robert Windrem said, via the Brooklyn podcast.
Bernie Lee is also Butler's agent. Butler's rumored feelings about going to the Nets make sense, given Lee's reported satisfaction with the forward's former teammate being taken care of by the organization. Perhaps the relationship Simmons has with the Nets is one Butler finds attractive. But there is a lot that must still be considered for Butler's interest to come to fruition.
The factors that will determine Jimmy Butler's potential Nets arrival
Butler has a $52 million player option with the Heat he must decide on after the 2024-25 season. If he opts in, he can stay with the team for one more year and enter unrestricted free agency in 2026 (if Miami does not offer him a longer-term contract extension). Otherwise, Butler can decline his option after the season and enter free agency in 2025.
The Nets are projected to have as much as $70 million in cap space during the 2025 offseason, which could be enough to offer Butler a deal. However, that amount may decrease if Brooklyn holds on to Butler's potential draw to the team: Ben Simmons.
Simmons is in the final year of his five-year, $177 million contract he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019. The Nets owe him $40 million during the 2024-25 season. Simmons will likely not earn that high of a contract during the 2025 offseason, even if he returns to All-Star form. Still, Brooklyn could elect to resign him for something if he performs well and is a draw for Jimmy Butler.
The Nets have gambled on signing stars in free agency in the past, and it has not worked out. Expect Brooklyn to be cautious when fielding Butler or other stars' interest in the team. Sean Marks' goal is to help the Nets win a championship, but he has learned a key lesson from the team's past moves. Marks might play things safe and focus on development through the draft, rather than through star acquisitions.
Still, if Butler truly does have interest in the Nets, it is a paring worth considering. Brooklyn could possess a combination of a star like Butler and highly-touted young players like Cam Thomas and/or a prospect from the 2025 or 2026 draft class.