The Jimmy Butler trade saga is over. The Miami Heat are sending the disgruntled six-time All-Star to the Golden State Warriors for a package involving Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schröder, Kyle Anderson and a protected first-round draft pick, according to a report from ESPN on Wednesday.
The trade involves three other franchises and will send seven players in total to new teams, per The Stein Line.
Once the trade is finalized, Butler will sign a two-year, $121 million contract extension with the Warriors, according to ESPN.
The Warriors were linked to several names leading up to the Feb. 6 trade deadline, including Kevin Durant, but after Durant made it clear he wasn’t interested in returning to San Francisco, they pivoted to Butler.
Butler now joins a Warriors team headlined by two-time league MVP Stephen Curry and four-time All-Star Draymond Green. The Warriors are currently seeded No. 10 in the Western Conference with a record of 25-24.
Butler’s final month with the Heat had been rocky. He returned from a seven-game suspension on Jan. 17 after the small forward was disciplined by the Heat for multiple instances of conduct it deemed detrimental to the team. He was suspended again five days later, this time for two games, for missing a team flight. Before he was set to return on Monday, the Heat suspended him indefinitely for walking out of practice.
Prior to the first suspension, the 2015 NBA Most Improved Player expressed that he’d lost his on-court “joy” in Miami. The team confirmed he had requested a trade shortly after.
In Butler’s first season with the Heat, the team reached the NBA Finals, and again in 2023, for the second appearance in four years.
So far this season, Butler has played in 25 games, posting an average of 17 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
Wiggins leaves the Warriors having played a pivotal role in their 2021-122 championship run. He played six seasons in Golden State.
Schröder’s time in San Francisco was short-lived. The Warriors acquired the German guard in a December trade, and traded him just two months later.
Jimmy Butler
Miami Heat
National Basketball Association
Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Read the full article here
