After weeks of distractions, the Miami Heat finally traded problem child Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors in the big swap. The deal also includes Kyle Anderson and Dennis Schroder. The deal could be mutually beneficial to both teams and Butler.
BREAKING: The Miami Heat are finalizing a deal to send Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors for Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson and a protected first-round pick, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/82mWHKCnVM
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025
The Warriors get a proven playoff performer in Butler; the Heat add a starter in Andrew Wiggins as well as a first-round pick. That gives them a decent haul for the 35-year-old Butler, who seemed dead set on taking his value to try and steer his way to the Phoenix Suns. It didn't work, and the Golden State Warriors decided to trade for him and extend him, committing to him for at least another two seasons.
New Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler has agreed to a new two-year, $121 million extension with the franchise through 2026-27, sources tell me and @WindhorstESPN. Butler is declining his 2025-26 player option for this new $121M deal.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025
The Heat now get the chance to move on from the Butler era. While the haul received for him might not seem like much, they probably weren't going to get a lot in return for him. Getting a solid starter and a first-round pick is solid value. Meanwhile, the Warriors shipped out several rotation players in the hopes that Butler could be an impact player.
The Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, and Jimmy Butler are all winners of the trade.
The details of the trade are still being sorted out, but we know the core of the trade. Butler now has a new home with the Warriors, making it his fifth team. He's burned bridges in each of his NBA stops, but given his age, the Warriors may be his final stop.
They should hope so, and that he is fully engaged with him being a potential difference maker to a struggling Warriors team. They sacrificed some of their depth to bring him in and can't afford for him not to pan out. If he does, then Golden State would have not one but two players who can take over a playoff game.
As for the Heat, they finally get to move on from Butler and have Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro to start with. That is a better starting point than many teams in their position have, and getting real assets back for Butler is the icing on the cake.
Time will tell who won the trade, but it was clear that the Heat couldn't keep him on their roster, and the Warriors had to make a big move. Desperation made these two teams the perfect trade partners, with the Warriors having the most to gain from the trade.