Heat’s Jimmy Butler to bypass Tokyo Olympics, focus on preparation for next season

Jimmy Butler has opted for rest, recovery and prep time during the Tokyo Olympics.

The Miami Heat star has decided to decline an invitation from Team USA to participate in the Olympics this summer, a source confirmed to the Miami Herald. Butler, who helped Team USA win gold in Brazil in the 2016 Olympics, was part of the initial list of players considered for Tokyo.

Heat center Bam Adebayo and forward Duncan Robinson are also on the list from which the 2021 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team will be chosen. Adebayo is still considering the possibility of participating in the Olympics, according to a source, and Robinson said at the end of this past season that “if I had the opportunity to represent my country, that would be something really difficult to pass up” but his impending free agency could complicate matters.

The list of Heat players who have played for Team USA in past Olympics includes Tim Hardaway, LeBron James, Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade.

Golden State’s Draymond Green and Stephen Curry, Portland’s Damian Lillard and Boston’s Jayson Tatum are reportedly strong candidates to accept invitations to be part of Team USA for the Tokyo Olympics.

The expectation is the roster will be set by the end of June.

Team USA will open its men’s training camp, led by coach Gregg Popovich, in Las Vegas on July 6. Camp will include a five-game exhibition schedule that begins with a matchup against Nigeria on July 10.

Team USA opens the Olympics with group play on July 25 against France, and the competition will run through Aug. 7. For the preliminary round, Team USA is part of Group A alongside France, Iran and the still-to-be-determined winner of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Victoria, Canada.

Along with the United States, Argentina, Australia, France, Iran, Japan, Nigeria and Spain have already qualified for the Olympics. Four other teams will be added to the field through qualifying tournaments in the coming weeks.

The U.S. men’s basketball team is seeking a fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal and enters the competition ranked No. 1 by FIBA.

Butler, who turns 32 in September, just completed, arguably, the best regular season of his NBA career, averaging 21.5 points on a career-best 49.7 percent shooting and career highs in rebounds (6.9), assists (7.1) and steals (2.1). He averaged a team-high in points, assists and minutes while finishing as the NBA’s steals leader.

Bypassing the Olympics allows Butler to prioritize rest and his offseason regimen in preparation for the start of next season, with training camps scheduled to open Sept. 28.

Butler did not get that opportunity during last year’s COVID-19 pandemic-shortened offseason that lasted 71 days, which is the fewest between the end of a season and the start of the next season in NBA, MLB, NHL and NFL history, according to Elias Sports. The Heat lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Oct. 11, and Miami began team practices in December before opening the regular season on Dec. 23.

Butler was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team and All-NBA Third Team this week.

Even without the Olympics on Butler’s schedule, it’s still expected to be an eventful offseason for him.

Butler, whose current contract includes a $36 million salary for this upcoming season, is eligible for an extension from the Heat this summer. The expectation is that Butler will seek a maximum four-year extension worth $181 million that would begin in the 2022-23 season.