Jimmy Butler isn’t worth the price for the Toronto Raptors
How Butler fits with the Raptors moving forward
A lot of fans think in black and white. If the goal is to win a championship, go get Jimmy Butler. He is better than every player on the Raptors’ roster, not named Kawhi Leonard. Butler gets the team one step closer to playing in June and hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
What a lot of fans don’t take into account is the collective bargaining agreement, the salary cap, and the luxury tax. It is understandable why. That is technical and boring. But those are factors that must be considered when Ujiri and his staff are making these decisions.
Butler wants to be traded to a team that will sign him to a five-year, $190 million contract. Leonard will be eligible to sign an identical contract next summer. Signing both would be a big financial commitment, both in terms of salary and luxury tax.
The salary cap is projected to increase to $109 million next year, with a luxury tax threshold of $132 million. Assuming the Raptors traded Miles, Powell and Siakam they would be left with six players under contract for next season.
After signing Butler and Leonard to max contracts, the Raptors’ payroll would be approximately $154 million for just 8 players. NBA teams are required to carry a minimum of 13 players on their roster.
The luxury tax payment for the above amount is over $50 million. That is before the Raptors fill out the rest of the roster. Even if the team only signed players to veteran minimum contracts, the Raptors would still be looking at a payroll well over $200 million for salary and tax payments combined.
Beyond the finances, there are other reasons the Raptors may be hesitant to commit to Butler long-term. Butler will be 30 at the start of next season. He would be 34 in the final year of his contract. Do the Raptors really want to be paying Butler over $40 million per season at age 33 and 34?
The Raptors were reluctant to pay Lowry well into his 30s. Last summer, Lowry was only able to secure a three-year contract extension. And Lowry has not had the durability issues that Butler has had over his career. Lowry has played at least 77 games in three of the last five seasons.
Butler has dealt with injuries throughout his career. Over the course of seven seasons, Butler has only played more than 68 games twice. He was also third last season in minutes per game.
Since the 2013-14 Season, Butler has been in the top-five in minutes per game every year. Thibodeau is known for putting a heavy workload on his players. That hasn’t worked out well for Deng, Rose or Joakim Noah. How long will Butler be able to play at an elite level?