Butler's $184M contract versus Adebayo's $163M tells only half the story. The real difference isn't the $21M in base salary spread—it's that Butler negotiated his deals during peak leverage moments (2019 Sixers drama, 2020 Heat Finals run), landing supermax premium pricing. Adebayo signed his extension in 2020 when he was still proving consistency; same Heat organization, different negotiating position. That timing delta compounds into roughly $8-10M in direct salary acceleration that never appears in annual earnings but absolutely anchors career trajectory.