Washington Wizards President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed guard/forward Caron Butler to a contract extension. Per team policy, terms of the extension were not announced.
“We are pleased that we were able to come to an agreement in extending Caron’s contract,” said Grunfeld. “Caron is a proven NBA player and will be a very solid part of our core moving forward. He is versatile, very tough and an outstanding competitor. Caron places winning before everything else and we really like that about him.”
“I am very grateful and happy to be a part of the Washington Wizards organization,” said Butler. “This city, the organization, my teammates and my coaches have embraced me since I arrived here. We have great team chemistry, and I know a good thing when I see it. This is a great situation for me. This offense suits my game perfectly, and I feel as though this is the perfect situation for me to prosper.”
The 2004-05 NBA season marked Butler’s best season as a professional. Butler averaged a career-high 15.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in 77 games played for the Los Angeles Lakers last season. Over the final 17 games of the season, he averaged 21.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game and he finished the season ranked 17th in the NBA in free throw percentage (.862).
Originally drafted by the Miami Heat with the 10th overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, Butler averaged 12.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in 146 career games with Miami. As a rookie, he started 78 games and averaged 15.4 points and 5.1 rebounds while leading the Heat in points (1,201), steals (137), minutes played (2,858), field goals made (429), field goals attempted (1,032), free throws made (309) and free throws attempted (375). He was named NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month on four occasions that season. Miami dealt Butler to the Lakers prior to the 2004-05 season in a trade that also involved Shaquille O’Neal.
Butler was initially acquired by Washington from the Los Angeles Lakers with Chucky Atkins on August 2, 2005 in exchange for Kwame Brown and Laron Profit. In his three-year NBA career, Butler is averaging 13.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.