Jimmy Butler’s wish is granted as he is headed out of South Beach in a four-team trade. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania , Butler is headed to Golden State to join Stephen Curry . Miami receives a trio of veterans and a heavily protected 2025 first-round draft pick. Charania added that Detroit and Utah are also part of the trade.
NBA Trade Grades: Who Won The Massive Jimmy Butler Trade and The Impact Going Forward For Each Franchise
While Butler’s move out of Miami is not surprising, it is a little shocking that he is headed to Golden State. Charania said that the Warriors decided to bring the contentious 35-year-old forward on board after Phoenix ‘s Kevin Durant decided against going back to the Bay Area. Sources told Charania that the Heat , Warriors , and Suns had been working on a trade that would have seen Durant return to Golden State and Butler end up at his preferred destination.
Jimmy Butler Gets Wish Granted
Butler led Miami to five straight playoff appearances in what once seemed a perfect union, reaching three Eastern Conference championships and the NBA Finals twice. But there had been rumors about Butler possibly not finishing his career in Miami since the summer, and the Heat called into question his effort at times this season. He officially entered the trade market shortly after the New Year.
Butler, who has not played since January 21, was suspended thrice this season, including twice for conduct detrimental to the team. His latest suspension occurred after he left the Heat’s shootaround before the team’s game against Orlando on January 27 following news that he would be coming off the bench.
Butler is in the midst of his worst season since his early days in Chicago. The 35-year-old averaged 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.1 steals in 25 games, though he was pretty efficient. He also posted two double-doubles and a triple-double while shooting 54/36.1/80.
“Biggest thing is just it creates expectations, which I love,” Curry told Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard when asked about the trade. “I want to be in that kind of environment, whether you get it done or not, that is meaningful basketball that we all love and thrive in. I think we’re all going to be up for the challenge.”
Trade Details
The other players involved in the trade were Kyle Anderson , Davion Mitchell , Andrew Wiggins , Lindy Waters III , Josh Richardson , and Dennis Schroder . Anderson, Wiggins, and a top-10 protected first-round 2025 draft pick is headed to Miami.
Other trades involving players in this deal have occurred, which will be explained further in the team capsules.
Golden State Warriors get:
Jimmy Butler
Miami Heat Receive:
Andrew Wiggins
Kyle Anderson
PJ Tucker
Top-10 Protected 2025 First-Rounder
Detroit Pistons Receive:
Lindy Waters
Dennis Schroder
Utah Jazz Receive:
Josh Richardson
KJ Martin
2028 Second Rounder (Via Detroit)
NBA Trade Grades
How Does The Trade Impact The Golden State Warriors
Golden State has been looking for another star since seeing Klay Thompson leave for Dallas this offseason. The Warriors got their man. Butler and Draymond Green are expected to stabilize the Warriors’ defense, which is 10th in the league in defensive rating. Despite Butler not being as consistent offensively as usual, he shot the ball exceptionally well with the Heat and topped the 20-point mark nine times, scoring at least 30 thrice.
Butler also gives the Warriors another excellent playmaker, meaning they have four players who can facilitate the offense, something the Dubs haven’t had since Durant was last in town. Defensively, Butler will get the Warriors opponent’s best perimeter scorer, and he has done a pretty good job on that end.
While Butler is not the shooter than Wiggins, he is undoubtedly the more efficient and better two-way player than Wiggins has ever been. Butler is a slasher who lives in the mid-range as he has the unique ability to create his shot and finish several ways. Butler, who has been fantastic as a finisher at the rim this year, is also one of the most clutch players in the league. He is also a much better player on the move than Wiggins.
However, the biggest question is whether Butler can raise Golden State to at least seventh in a tough Western Conference. Golden State will be shorthanded when they head into Los Angeles to face the Lakers tonight. The Warriors (25-25), amid a seven-game road trip, have split their last 20 contests. They are just 10-12 on the road this season.
Golden State Didn’t Give Up A Ton To Get Butler
Golden State is tied for 10th place in the West with Phoenix and Sacramento. The Warriors are only one-half game behind eighth-place Dallas and three games out of the sixth spot. The Warriors are just 1-9 against Pacific division teams, though they are 16-8 versus the rest of the West.
Tankathon has the Warriors with the 15th most manageable schedule remaining. On the plus side for Golden State, the Suns, Clippers, and Minnesota have a tougher road.
Given the Heat’s position, they weren’t in a prime position to request a lot in return. Wiggins was fantastic for the Warriors in 2022, their last NBA championship. But the 29-year-old hasn’t grown since his lone all-star season, and he still potentially has $58 million left on his contract. The Warriors have been looking to trade Wiggins the past two trade deadlines.
Schroder has been a disaster since being acquired by Golden State in December. Meanwhile, Anderson was solid in his first season with the Warriors, though he missed over a dozen games and didn’t contribute much offensively.
Golden State isn’t likely to surround their first-round pick, which is top-10 protected. NBA Insider Zach Lowe reported that if the Warriors pick doesn’t convey to the Heat this year; it will be top-10 protected next season. Further, if not transferred, the Heat would receive the compensation in 2027 as it becomes unprotected.
Warriors Future Cap Space
Also, as part of the trade, Butler will decline his $52.4 million player option. Instead, Charania said Butler will sign a two-year, $111 million pact that will run through 2026-27.
The trade has made Golden State very thin, and they need to make roster moves. The Warriors only have 11 players on standard contracts. They are expected to convert Quenton Post ‘s two-way contract to a standard dea l.
Post has been very productive in his short time with Golden State. He averages 7.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists with shooting splits of 44.4/35.7/100. He has scored in double figures in three of his eight games, including a career-high 20 points against Chicago on January 23.
Still, that leaves the Warriors at least one player short of the 14-player minimum. The Warriors will likely have less than $300,000 in cap space before being hard-capped.
With Post’s expected promotion, Golden State figures will have 10 players under contract for next season. While the Dubs will be over the salary cap with salaries totaling $174 million, they will be $33.7 million clear of the second apron. As stated above, the Warriors should be able to keep their 2025 first-round choice.
Trade Grade: B
How Does The Trade Impact the Miami Heat?
Miami likely got the best deal they could, given the circumstances. The Heat could have done worse than Wiggins and a future first-round draft pick. If the Heat hadn’t found a suitor, they would have lost him for nothing in the offseason.
Wiggins is still 29 years old and is under contract for two more years, though 2026-27 is a player option. Wiggins is a scorer who has bounced back from a disappointing year last season. While Wiggins had his issues after helping the Warriors win the 2022 NBA title, he became an outstanding 3-point marksman and improved his rebounding and ballhandling with the organization.
Wiggins averaged 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 43 games with the Warriors. He also canned 2.3 treys with 44.4/37.9/77.7 shooting splits. He tied a career-best with three double-doubles while scoring in double-figures 36 times, including topping the 20-point mark on 20 occasions.
Wiggins figures to be Miami’s No. 3 option behind Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo . He will start at small forward for the Heat, replacing Butler’s scoring and giving the Heat another shooter. The Heat rank in the top 10 in the league in 3-pointers made and attempted while shooting a cumulative 36.7% from deep (11th).
Anderson’s role appears to be a little more tenuous. Anderson has a similar game to Jaime Jaquez , though “Slo-Mo” is better defensively. More than likely, the 31-year-old forward will take minutes from Kevin Love and possibly Pelle Larsson at the end of the Heat’s second unit.
Davion Mitchell
After reportedly being involved in the deal when it was first consummated, Toronto officially got involved this morning. Charnia tweeted this morning that instead of PJ Tucker heading to Miami from Utah, he will wind up with the Raptors.
Acquiring Mitchell instead of Tucker makes financial sense for the Heat. While Tucker spent the 2021-22 campaign with the Heat, he hasn’t played all season and likely wouldn’t have seen any time with the team this year. Tucker is also making over $5 million more than Mitchell. ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported that the swap of Mitchell for Tucker will allow the Heat to duck below the first tax apron by nearly $2 million, though they are still above the luxury tax (by $2.8 million).
Mitchell, a true point guard, figures to have a role with the Heat. He projects to be the Heat’s fourth guard and the main facilitator with the second unit, allowing Terry Rozier to do what he does best: score. His presence should also take a bit off of Jacquez’s plate regarding ballhandling responsibility.
Mitchell, a solid on-ball defender, has seen his most action this year since his rookie campaign. The 26-year-old point guard has improved his three-point shooting and has shown the ability to be a quality distributor. However, turnovers have been problematic for Mitchell this season, and he is inefficient overall.
Miami is also sending Toronto a 2026 second-round pick (via the Los Angeles Lakers) and cash.
Future Salary Cap
Miami leads the Southeast division and is sixth in the East with a 26-25 record. The Heat, who are 13-13 without Butler this year, may be unable to hold off Orlando for the top spot in the division. But the Heat should at least be able to reach the Eastern Play-In Tournament. They are 4.5 games ahead of 10th-place Chicago.
Considering Butler likely wouldn’t have exercised his $52 million option, the Heat added $37.45 million to next year’s payroll. Duncan Robinson has an $18 million player option that he will undoubtedly exercise. That means the Heat will have 13 players under contract with salaries totaling $180,000.
Miami doesn’t project to have a draft pick at this point. Unless the Heat fall out of the top eight, they will send their 2025 first-round pick to Oklahoma City (top 14 protected). The Heat have already moved a second-round pick to the Warriors.
Trade Grade: C+.
How Does Trade Impact The Detroit Pistons
Detroit and Utah were two of eight teams well below the NBA’s tax line before this week. But the Pistons have made three trades over the past two days. In their first two trades, the Pistons added three players via Philadelphia and this Butler trade: Waters, Richardson, and KJ Martin.
However, Richardson and Martin won’t officially join Detroit. Rather, those two players will be sent to Utah in exchange for Schroder, per Omari Sankofi of the Detroit Free Press . Sankofi recently tweeted, “Dennis Schroder will end up with the Pistons as part of the massive Jimmy Butler deal.”
Dennis Schroder Acquisition
On the peripheral, this trade doesn’t necessarily make sense for the Pistons. But Detroit (25-26) is on the edge of ending its five-year drought as they sit seventh in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons, who have already won their most since 2018-19, are just one game behind sixth-place Miami.
But with Jaden Ivey out for another month, the Pistons needed a veteran to take over primary ballhandling duties when Cade Cunningham takes a breather. The Pistons announced earlier today that Ivey, who has been sidelined since January 2 with a broken fibula, is progressing. He will remain out until reevaluated, which will occur in four weeks.
Second-year pro Marcus Sasser and Malik Beasley have mainly handled the backup point guard role lately. Sasser is not quite ready for a significant role on a decent NBA team, and Beasley is better off the ball.
As mentioned above, Schroder was a disaster with the Warriors. However, the 31-year-old German has strung together six straight solid efforts. He may not feel the pressure he did with the Warriors and perhaps get back to playing as he did with Brooklyn and the German national team over the last two summers.
Salary Cap and Future Implications
All of Detroit’s recent moves mean the Pistons have 16 players on standard deals. So, the Pistons, who are still $26 million below the tax, must make a roster move.
Waters seems the most likely player to be waived, as he struggled with Golden State. However, Waters is more experienced and a better shooter than Wendell Moore Jr . So, it is possible that the Pistons will choose to keep Waters over Moore. Like Schroder, Waters and Moore are on expiring contracts.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype , the Pistons are indeed waiving Moore.
Detroit did an excellent job, pulling in a backup point guard and increasing their draft capital (2027 second-round pick, 2031 second-rounder from Philly) while not adding any future salary. The Pistons have 10 players under contract for next year and project to have at least $24.6 million in cap space. Their 2025 first-round pick is a little in flux (top-13 protected), as it could be headed to Minnesota if the Pistons make the playoffs.
Trade Grade: A+
How Does The Trade Impact the Utah Jazz
Utah continues to add capital to its draft stash with the Pistons’ 2028 second-round pick. The deal with the Pistons does make sense for the Jazz, as their backcourt is crowded. Like Detroit, Utso didn’t add any future salary with the trade, as Martin and Richardson are on expiring contracts.
Richardson, who has appeared in just eight games this season, figures to get bought out as the Jazz have 16 players on standard contracts. Meanwhile, Martin fits in with the Jazz’s rebuild as he is young and athletic. The 23-year-old has not played since before Christmas due to injury, but he is expected to compete for a spot in the Jazz’s rotation when he is healthy.
Richardson is indeed the player getting released, but Andy Larson added that the Jazz are also parting ways with Jalen Hood-Schifino . Hood-Schifino joined the Jazz as part of the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade. The Jazz now have 14 players on standard contracts, though they figure they can bring someone else in at some point as they have plenty of cap space.
Utah has 14 players on standard contracts for next season, with salaries totaling $150.3 million. However, the Jazz does have some flexibility with John Collins ($26.5 million player option) and three players with nonguaranteed deals: Martin, Svi Mykhailiuk , and Johnny Juzang .
Trade Grade: B
Photo Courtesy of © Sam Navarro Imagn Images
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