- The NBA Trade Deadline has been a wild week, starting with Luka Dončić going to the Los Angeles Lakers, and De’Aaron Fox going to San Antonio.
- The Jimmy Butler saga is finally over as Miami traded the disgruntled star to Golden State.
- Miami receives Andrew Wiggins, while Utah and Detroit were also involved.
Jimmy Butler vs. the Miami Heat has been a major storyline of the NBA season, especially since 2025 started. The mercurial forward has been suspended three times by the Heat, most recently for walking out of practice after being told he was going to the bench.
Less than 24 hours before the trade deadline, the Heat decided to trade Butler to Golden State, while Andrew Wiggins heads to Golden State. Butler will also sign a two-year extension worth $121 million with the Warriors.
Butler, Wiggins the Main Factors in Four-Team Trade
The news was broken by ESPN’s Shams Charania on Wednesday night.
The Heat traded Butler to the Warriors for Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, and a top-10 2025 first-round pick. Golden State also sent guard Dennis Schröder to the Utah Jazz, who could buy Schröder out. Utah sent forward P.J. Tucker to Miami, who then traded Tucker to Toronto on Thursday for guard Davion Mitchell. Detroit will receive guard Lindy Waters from the Warriors, and Josh Richardson heads from Miami to the Detroit Pistons.
But the main players here are Butler and Wiggins. Butler requested a trade on January 3, and has been suspended three times by the Heat since then, including when he left practice after being moved to the bench. The 35-year-old six-time All-Star was trying to engineer a move to Phoenix, but Bradley Beal reportedly wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause to make the salaries work. Butler also previously told Golden State he wouldn’t sign an extension after this season. But the two worked out a two-year extension worth $121 million for Butler to stay in Golden State.
Meanwhile, the Heat get Wiggins, who is 29 and has spent the last five-plus seasons with the Warriors. He was arguably their best player when they won the title in 2022, and this season, Wiggins is averaging 17.6 points and 4.6 rebounds. He is also still a plus defender who is shooting 37.9% from three-point land. Wiggins is also much less of a headache than Butler, whose situation became untenable in Miami.
How Does Butler Help the Warriors?
The Warriors were desperately looking for a second scorer to suit up alongside Stephen Curry, who is 36 years old. They also tried to reunite with Kevin Durant, who helped the Warriors to titles in 2017 and 2018. However, Durant declined the chance.
Golden State was high on the list of teams in the Jimmy Butler next team odds, but the extension issue caused problems. However, a healthy and motivated Butler can help the Warriors on both ends of the floor. He gives them a player who can make moves off the dribble besides Curry, and Butler can also lock down opposing wings, even at his age. Butler helped Miami make it to two NBA Finals, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, and Denver in 2023. But he was unquestionably the best player on both teams and raised his game in the playoffs.
Butler is also now on a team with Curry and Draymond Green, two competitors who know what it takes to win in the NBA. The duo has won four championships with Golden State, and they would like to get one more before retiring. The Western Conference is tough, and the NBA championship odds have Oklahoma City coming out of the conference. But Golden State definitely raised their championship ceiling by getting Butler, if all goes well.
