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After weeks of being miserable in Miami and suspended indefinitely, Jimmy Butler is finally free from Pat Riley‘s reign as a member of the Heat.
Butler has been traded to the Golden State Warriors, the latest blockbuster move before the NBA trade deadline.
ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania announced the trade involving the five-time NBA All-Star and the four-team deal that made it happen.
While the Warriors receive Butler, the Heat get Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, P.J. Tucker, and the Warriors’ 2025 first-round pick. The Utah Jazz get Dennis Schröder, and the Detroit Pistons pick up Lindy Waters III and Josh Richardson. The Toronto Raptors were also supposed to be part of the intricate deal and receive Warriors Kyle Anderson, but that part fell through.
Butler didn’t just finally get out of South Beach after raising havoc in the Kaseya center; he also landed himself a new deal by declining his 2025-26 $52.4 million player option (because he’d rather hit free agency) by inking a two-year extension worth $121 million to secure his role as Steph Curry‘s running mate through at least the 2026-27 season.
Butler responded to the trade news by tweeting, “Welcome to the Wild Wild West,” alongside a country song, a genre he’s famously a fan of.
Butler has been known to make locker rooms extremely tough when he’s fed up with a team and wants out, and it’s happened with the Chicago Bulls, the infamous practice with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Philadelphia 76ers, and now the Miami Heat.
In Miami, it infamously came to a head during a post-game press conference after a loss to the Los Angeles Pacers.
“I want to see me getting my joy back playing basketball. Wherever that may be, we’ll find out here pretty soon,” Butler told the media. “I’m happy here off the court, but I want to be back to somewhat dominant; I want to hoop, and I want to help this team win, and right now, I’m not doing it.”
However, Butler’s attitude might not be tolerated in the Bay Area, where reinforcer Draymond Green is also on the roster.
See how social media is reacting to the trade below.