The Jimmy Butler saga has mercifully come to an end. The disgruntled star was sent to the Golden State Warriors in a deal that involved the Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons, and the Miami Heat. The Warriors sent Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, and a top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick to Miami and Dennis Schröder to Utah, who is also shipping PJ Tucker to the Heat, whom he played for in 2021-22; Detroit receives Lindy Waters and Josh Richardson.
The trade ends weeks of headache-inducing behavior from the former Heat star and allows both Butler and the Heat to move on from one another. In addition, Butler is getting his way, as he will decline his $52 million player option and will sign a 2-year $111 million deal.
With the deal, Golden State has a second star, albeit an aging one, that they have been desperately seeking. Butler moves well off the ball so he should be able to integrate himself easily into the Warriors’ offense. If Butler does not the lethargic, uninterested, and caustic player we saw at the end of his tenure with the Heat then this has the potential to be an excellent short-term move for Golden State as they try to pry open their competitive window with Stephen Curry.
