Miami will receive Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, PJ Tucker, and a first-round pick in exchange for Butler.
After months of negotiations, the Miami Heat found a new home for Jimmy Butler. The forward was traded to the Golden State Warriors in a deal that also involved the Detroit Pistons and the Utah Jazz, according to information from Shams Charania of ESPN on Wednesday (February 5). The Florida franchise will receive Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, PJ Tucker, and a first-round pick in exchange for the 35-year-old player.
The Michigan franchise will receive Lindy Waters III from the Warriors, Josh Richardson from the Heat, and a second-round pick. Lastly, the Jazz will receive Dennis Schroder, who was with Golden State.
In addition to being traded, Butler also agreed to a two-year, $121 million extension with the Warriors, which will keep him with the team through the 2026-27 season, as added by Brian Windhorst, also from ESPN. To start the new contract next season, the player will forgo an automatic renewal option that would have earned him $52 million.
Golden State was one of the teams most involved in trade rumors surrounding the veteran. The California franchise has been looking for a second star to pair with Stephen Curry. The team’s goal is to create an environment conducive to competing for titles in the later years of Curry’s career.
Despite initial discussions with Miami, the Warriors backed off from pursuing Butler after the player reiterated that he would not sign an extension if acquired by the team in a trade. Butler’s desire was to test the market at the end of his contract, which would expire next season.
After retreating from talks, the Bay Area team shifted its focus to Kevin Durant, but Durant did not show interest in reuniting with Curry, with whom he had great success in the late 2010s. As a result, Jimmy Butler became the focus again, and in the end, he accepted the contract offer.
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Discussions about the possibility of the No. 22 player leaving Miami started at the end of last season. The strain in Butler’s relationship with members of the franchise—especially president Pat Riley—and the difficulties in reaching a contract extension agreement were the main drivers behind the rumors. Additionally, the player will turn 36 in 2025 and had a season marked by injuries in 2023-24.
In contrast to the speculations, Riley confirmed through an official statement that the player would not be traded this season. However, days later, Butler stated during a press conference that he wanted to “regain the joy of playing basketball,” indicating that the Heat would not be the ideal place for that. After the statement, the forward formally requested a trade, which was accepted by Miami.
However, due to his stance, Butler was suspended by the team for seven games. He would return to the rotation after the suspension but was punished two more times: the first resulted in two games of absence after he missed a flight for a game against the Milwaukee Bucks, and the second, for an indefinite period, occurred after he left a practice upon learning that he would not be a starter.
The forward played six seasons with the Miami team, being a key player in three conference finals appearances and two runner-up finishes, in 2020 and 2023. In the 2024-25 season, Butler is averaging 17 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 25 games played.
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