Warriors Land Jimmy Butler in Blockbuster Trade, Send Wiggins to the Heat

The Jimmy Butler trade fiasco is finally over, with Heat trading away the 35-year-old to the Golden State Warriors for Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, PJ Tucker and a protected first round pick. As per reports, the Utah Jazz and the Detroit Pistons are also part of this multi-team trade.

As a part of the trade, the Warriors will also send Dennis Schroder, who the Dubs acquired in December, to the Utah Jazz. Meanwhile, Utah will ship forward P.J. Tucker, who played with the Heat in 2021-22, to Miami. Guard Lindy Waters III will go from Golden State to the Detroit Pistons, and Josh Richardson will go from Miami to Detroit. Moreover, Jimmy Butler decided to sign a two-year contract extension worth $111 million with the Warriors. This means that Butler won’t activate his $52 million player option for the 2025/26 season.  

After the blockbuster trade, Heat forward Nikola Jović got emotional about Jimmy Butler’s departure, calling him his “brother” and admitting that the team would feel his absence. “He's someone who did a lot for this franchise,” Jović said. “He's someone who helped me so much where I'm not sure if I'll be here right now if there wasn't him. I'm sad and happy in the same moment. Sad you're not going to see him anymore. But I'm really happy that he got what he wanted.” Meanwhile, ESPN’s Shams Charania detailed the rapid-fire nature of the deal. He wrote, “The trade was agreed to while the Heat were playing against the 76ers in Philadelphia and the Pistons were hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers. Warriors coach Steve Kerr called a team meeting to inform players just before Golden State played against the Jazz in Salt Lake City.” 

The Warriors had been hunting for another star ahead of the deadline, and they got their guy—six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler is now set to team up with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Losing Andrew Wiggins stings—he was their second-leading scorer at 17.6 points per game and one of their best defenders against both guards and bigger forwards. But let’s be real—Butler is an upgrade. Golden State have been desperate for a reliable second scoring option to ease the burden on Curry, especially in crunch time. Butler has averaged 20+ points per game in each of the last four seasons, making him exactly the kind of player they’ve been missing. On top of that, his defensive tenacity alongside Green could make life miserable for opposing offenses. Steve Kerr just got another warrior in every sense of the word, and the Warriors might finally have the missing piece they’ve been looking for. 

However, before pulling the trigger on a trade for Jimmy Butler, the Warriors had their sights set on something even bigger – a shocking reunion with Kevin Durant. According to reports, Golden State, Miami, and Phoenix were deep in discussions on a deal that would’ve sent Butler to the Suns and brought KD back to the Bay, where he won titles in 2017 and 2018. But there was just one problem – Durant wasn’t interested in a return, shutting the door on the blockbuster move. 

Now, with the playoffs just two months away, the success of this trade will come down to how quickly Butler meshes with his new teammates and whether his presence translates into wins. The Warriors are currently stuck at 11th in the West with a 25-25 record, fighting just to stay in the postseason race. Butler's impact will need to be immediate – because time is running out for Golden State to turn things around.