Report: League execs believe 76ers will offer Butler max contract
Jimmy Butler has long been confident he'll receive a max contract from whichever team he decides to join in free agency this summer, and the Philadelphia 76ers could be prepared to offer him one.
Executives within the Association are of the belief that the Sixers will look to max out the All-Star wing, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
"I've been talking to some executives this week and the executives, I think, now believe that the Sixers will (offer a max contract)," Windhorst said Friday on the "Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective" podcast. "I don't know about the fifth year, like, full guaranteed, but yeah."
Philadelphia can give Butler a five-year deal worth approximately $190 million, while other teams can only offer $141 million over four years. The 29-year-old has a $19.8-million player option he'll need to decline before entering unrestricted free agency.
Butler averaged 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and four assists in 55 regular-season appearances with the Sixers after they acquired him from the Minnesota Timberwolves in November.
Those numbers improved to 19.4 points, 6.1 boards, and 5.2 dimes during Philly's playoff run, which ended in Game 7 of the second round against the Toronto Raptors.
Butler's teammates JJ Redick, Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, Mike Scott, and Amir Johnson are also poised to enter free agency this summer.