Reacting to blockbuster Jimmy Butler trade
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The drama is over. And so is Jimmy Butler’s tumultuous season in Miami.
The Heat reportedly sent him to the Warriors for a package of players and picks Wednesday, ending a standoff that began a month ago when Butler became surly over his lack of a contract extension. That forced the Heat to put him on the bench with multiple suspensions, then on the block.
Butler was the Heat’s centerpiece player in the post-Big Three Era of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The ending was sour, though, and a divorce was the only solution.
With the trade deadline approaching at 3 p.m. ET Thursday, the Heat found a suitor for Butler with time to spare.
Here are five takeaways on the trade and what it means:
1. Warriors desperately try to salvage Stephen Curry’s prime
A generational player was spoiled by success. His coach was antsy. And options were running dry.
So the Warriors chose to roll the dice on Butler mainly because of his playoff history, which is rich with clutch and signature moments — Playoff Jimmy and all that.
If Butler can extend that magic with the Warriors, if nothing else it adds meaning to the mid-life crisis being experienced by Curry, who wants to win without leaving town and switching teams. Therefore it made sense for the Warriors to do something, because as long as they have Curry, the belief goes, any gamble is worthwhile. Just get to the playoffs and anything can happen.
And now coach Steve Kerr has a pair of proven postseason performers. Butler helped a pair of otherwise nondescript Miami teams reach the NBA Finals, falling short of a championship both times mainly because Butler didn’t have a capable co-star. And Curry has four championships.
Here’s the issue: Both are moving past their prime. Curry is currently having a sub-par season to his standards — his efficiency suffering especially. As for Butler, his health is a constant concern. Can they overcome those issues come playoff time — assuming of course they qualify for the playoffs — with an assist from Jonathan Kuminga and make a run?
2. Butler’s toughness fits next to Draymond
No longer does Draymond Green need to do the heavy lifting alone. Now he has his twin when it comes to toughness, both mental and otherwise.
Butler takes pride in accepting the challenge of guarding the other team’s best scorer and setting the tone for his team. He was the spiritual leader in Miami, by example and also verbally if necessary. It’s actually that last part which led to Butler’s exit, when he claimed he would’ve been the difference last spring in the playoffs had he been healthy … prompting Pat Riley to reply: If you don’t play, you shouldn’t say.
And that leads to this: Can Kerr, who has his hands full with Draymond, juggle another potentially high-maintenance star?
3. Is this a gamble financially?
Two years and $121 million? That’s the cost of doing business with Butler, who declined his player option for 2025-26 to receive the reported extension. And that’s a chunk to pay someone who’ll be 36 when next season tips and only played 67 or more games once in his career (not including shortened seasons).
Depending on what they can (or can’t) do to re-stock the depth they lost in the deal, the Warriors will essentially be locked into this core for the next two years.
Again: With Draymond, Curry and Butler, the Warriors will be led by three players with plenty of tread on the tires. Plus the competition in the Western Conference is unforgivable.
4. The Wizards impacted this trade … how?
The journey of Butler from Miami to Golden State was virtually assured a few years ago when the Wizards gave Bradley Beal a no-trade clause — on top of a max contract. It was inconceivable then, and certainly now.
Beal, as you know, went to the Suns in their attempt to create a Big Three. And because those formations are now next-to-impossible under the revamped salary cap rules, the team must win, or cut the losses quickly.
The Suns tried to win, and when they failed, Beal had the final say in all deals with his no-trade. Therefore, it proved too tricky to add a third team in any swap with Miami, which didn’t want Beal.
Which left the Suns helpless to get Butler, who wanted Phoenix. Lucky for him, another team came along and gave him the money he wanted. As for the Suns, no such luck.
5. How it helps the Heat, or not
The best part of this deal for Miami? Butler isn’t around to cause anymore distractions. As usual whenever there’s a multiple-player deal, the team that doesn’t receive the best player rarely “wins.”
In this situation, it’s a wait-and-see with Miami from a talent standpoint. Andrew Wiggins is a solid defender and younger, and Kyle Anderson can fit any system, and the protected pick, who knows.
Will any of that help Miami reach the conference finals four times, as Butler did?
Again, when assessing the swap, removing a player from the roster who no longer wanted to be there is the best return, for now. Addition by subtraction.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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