1. Age
Jimmy Butler is still young and has some good years of basketball ahead. Unlike most stars in the past, Butler took a while to reach star status.
For the first three seasons of his career, he was a role player who showed signs but was inconsistent. The Houston product became a household name in year four with the Bulls, when he averaged 20 points and 5.8 rebounds.
With a player who improved so tremendously as he has gotten older, it’s difficult to tell when he will begin to lose a step. Butler will be turning 30-years-old in September.
If the Lakers decide to go after Butler it would likely be a deal that lasts around four seasons. I believe Butler can be terrific over the next few seasons. The question will be if he can keep this play up in what would be at the age of 32 or 33. Most players begin to slow down around that age.
One thing to also consider is that Butler has missed 40 games over the last two seasons. Butler is one tough customer, but the one thing that you can’t beat is father time. The good thing is that Butler has only played eight full seasons at this stage.