NBA insiders
Feb 5, 2025, 09:35 PM ET
After a months-long back-and-forth with the Miami Heat, Jimmy Butler was finally traded to a new team on Wednesday night. Butler joins Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, and immediately signed a two-year, $121 million extension, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania.
The multiteam trade includes Andrew Wiggins, P.J. Tucker (via the Jazz), Kyle Anderson and a protected first-round pick going to Miami, and Dennis Schroder heading from the Warriors to Utah, sources said. The Heat had hoped to move Anderson to Toronto before that deal fell through, and are actively working on a resolution. It also includes the Pistons, with the Warriors' Lindy Waters III and Heat's Josh Richardson headed to Detroit, sources said.
The Heat had suspended Butler three times since Jan. 3, with the most recent suspension beginning Jan. 27. He has not played since Jan. 21.
Does Butler immediately propel the Warriors -- No. 10 in the West at the time of the trade -- back into playoff contention? And what does this mean for Butler's former team in the East? Our NBA Insiders answer the biggest questions following the latest NBA blockbuster trade.
This trade is _____?
Tim MacMahon: A mediocre ending to a miserable saga in Miami. The Heat accomplished their major goal of not taking back any salary that stretched into the summer of 2026 when the Heat will be in a position to attempt to persuade another star to take his talents to South Beach. It's a desperate swing by the Warriors to pair another star with Stephen Curry, but the desperation isn't evident in the cost.
Baxter Holmes: Certainly something! And the Warriors needed to do something splashy to help maximize Stephen Curry's window. The Warriors didn't give up a ton, all things considered, but Butler's fit will be interesting. The Warriors' culture starts with Curry, and Draymond Green provides the edge for this team. Butler, however, is used to being the center of every team he's been on. I like the move for Golden State, only because it seems to give them a fighting chance in the West and it feels like the odds are high that it will break right for the Warriors with this move.
Chris Herring: Simply a trade. Getting Butler out of Miami was something the Heat desperately wanted to get done, given how big a distraction it had become. Miami got enough in return to be competitive, and Golden State got the established name it wanted badly. But just because these teams wanted to make something happen doesn't mean it will change their overall outlook for the time being.
Jamal Collier: A little lackluster. After the shock and league-altering ramifications of the Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis trade, this trade, which we knew was coming in some form before the deadline, is fine. The fit in Golden State next to Steph Curry seems like a much better landing spot for Butler, who gets an extension and gets out of Miami than replacing Bradley Beal in Phoenix would have been. Still, it doesn't feel like this trade will have any real implications at the top of the Western Conference.
Does Butler make the Warriors a contender this season alongside Curry and Green?
Collier: What does playoff Jimmy look like next to Curry? If Butler is motivated to prove Miami wrong, that's at least a more interesting question than the situation Golden State was in before, especially considering the top of the conference is filled with young teams. Still, altering the roster so dramatically on the fly will be hard to pull off, so it's hard to call Golden State a contender right away.
MacMahon: Does this deal make Golden State better? Yes. Good enough to contend in the loaded Western Conference? Probably not. The Warriors will probably still make the playoffs via the play-in, considering the adjustment period of implementing such a major addition. And there will be some spacing issues with Butler and Draymond Green -- two players who opponents are comfortable shooting 3s against -- as key cogs for Golden State.
Holmes: Butler makes the Warriors better, but being a contender means being up there with the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets -- and the list goes on. Right now, the Warriors are 10th in the West. They have a long way to go and I don't see this as a transformational trade that suddenly vaults them to the top of the standings. It might be different if they had gotten Butler five years ago, but he's 35 now with plenty of mileage and a long injury history.
Herring: There's still a sizable gap between the Thunder and everyone else out West. I wouldn't have the Warriors in the second tier, either. But if Butler has his head on straight -- seemingly more likely with the contract extension hammered out -- this move figures to make Golden State better, even if it's not enough to push the Dubs into contender status by the end of the regular season.
Fact or Fiction: Golden State will be Jimmy Butler's last NBA stop?
Holmes: If we use history as our guide, then it's safe to say that this won't be Jimmy's last stop. For one reason or another, his tenures in Chicago, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Miami have all ended -- often in volatile fashion. There's an undeniable pattern, and it's hard to envision that breaking anytime soon.
MacMahon: If this trade deadline has taught us anything, it's to assume nothing. Except maybe that the ending won't be pretty with Butler, whether it's his last stop or not. That's certainly been a consistent theme.
Collier: Fiction, not going to make that bet for anyone right now.
Herring: Fiction. Unless this experiment goes swimmingly, the Warriors will likely find themselves in a position where they want to retool around Curry with another star before it's too late. That might require them to see what they can get for Butler if and when they determine he's not the right fit. (Plus, as everyone has said, when have Butler's tenures ever ended in a pretty fashion?)
What is Miami's ceiling this season after the trade?
Herring: We've seen them reach the second round as an underdog before, and it could happen again here. Spoelstra has proven he's a fantastic coach, and the organization will always be known for its grit and willingness to turn any matchup into a fight. But advancing beyond the first round of the playoffs would seem more improbable this time around.
Collier: The Heat have a chance to stay out of the play-in game and into the top six of the East, which would be a nice accomplishment after this ongoing saga threatened to derail their season. But it's hard to see a first-round matchup that would be favorable for the Heat to make any noise in the playoffs.
MacMahon: You have to give the Heat a sliver of a chance to get out of the first round, considering coach Erik Spoelstra's track record. But Miami feels like first-round fodder. It's hard to envision the Heat beating the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks or Milwaukee Bucks in a series if any of those opponents' stars are healthy.
Holmes: First, I'm sure there will be a sense of relief in Miami now that the Butler saga is over. In terms of a ceiling? It's hard to see the Heat making much noise in the postseason, even in a top-heavy Eastern Conference. At their best, I don't see them challenging Boston, New York or Cleveland. Maybe they could make some noise in the first round and extend a series a game or two beyond a sweep, but I'm not sure how much further they could go beyond that.
What should the Suns do to pivot after losing out on Butler?
Herring: It doesn't seem like Suns governor Mat Ishbia's M.O. at all, but having an openness to the idea of dealing Kevin Durant would seem wise. The organization isn't going anywhere fast with this group, so doubling down on it would make less sense than trying to get assets to build around Devin Booker.
MacMahon: Take a deep breath and massage the egos of the stars they've been dangling on the trade market. "There's crazy things that can happen ," Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said minutes before the Butler deal got done. "There's conversations that happen and then we're going to coach. All those guys [on the Suns], I love 'em. So I think the vibes will be good, if they're here."
Holmes: Don't do anything rash. Ishbia has proven since Day One that he loves to take big swings, no matter the cost, and he's received criticism ever since about "mortgaging the Suns future" to do so. Right now, patience is the watchword. Take and make calls, but if there's nothing there, they don't need to force it. They have a lot of talent on the roster as it is.
Collier: Ok sure, they should probably take a breath and keep going forward, but they're in the play-in tournament after getting swept last year and probably going nowhere. I'm intrigued by a Durant trade and don't think they should shut that door so quickly.
