The Miami Heat have traded disgruntled star forward Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors.
After weeks of turbulence between Butler and the Heat, a resolution has been reached. In exchange for Butler, the Heat received Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, and a first-round pick. The Heat also acquired guard Davion Mitchell from the Toronto Raptors as part of the deal.
The Warriors also moved guard Dennis Schroder and Lindy Waters III, while P.J. Tucker was sent to the Raptors after briefly being on the Heat. Tucker was initially on the Utah Jazz prior to the trade, who received guard Josh Richardson and forward KJ Martin.
The trade came after a month-long saga of Butler becoming unhappy with his role with the Heat, expressing that he wanted to play anywhere but Miami. Following his request, the Heat suspended him for seven games as a result of conduct detrimental to the team which included his recent performances and actions. The team suspended Butler two more times, once for missing a team flight and the last one for walking out of a practice after the team announced he was being benched for forward Haywood Highsmith. The reasoning for the final suspension was that the star was “intentionally withholding services.”
The actions from Butler came as a result of the Heat refusing to agree to a contract extension last summer. Following his trade request, Butler sought a better fit with a team that would consider signing him long term. Following his move to the Warriors, Butler agreed to a two-year, $121 million contract extension that will keep him with the Warriors until 2027.
With this trade, Butler will join guard Stephen Curry and forward Draymond Green in their quest to take the Warriors to the playoffs. The Warriors currently sit at 11th place in the Western conference with a 25-26 record, tied with the Phoenix Suns for the final spot in the play-in tournament. This move gives the Warriors a chance to move up the standings and become a contender in the last few years of Curry’s prime.
https://www.nba.com/news/jimmy-butler-heading-to-warriors-in-multi-player-deal-with-heat
