Speculation around a Jimmy Butler trade had been building for weeks, and the blockbuster everyone was waiting on finally happened.
After Kevin Durant trade talks fizzled out, the Warriors quickly moved onto Butler. ESPN's Shams Charania reported the trade on Wednesday night, and Butler's two-year, $121 million extension was announced only minutes later.
It's a big move for the Warriors and Heat, who both needed to shake things up. Was it the right one?
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Jimmy Butler trade details
Heat receive:
- Andrew Wiggins
- Kyle Anderson (might be re-routed)
- P.J. Tucker
- 2025 first-round pick, top-10 protected in 2025 and 2026 (via Warriors)
Warriors receive:
- Jimmy Butler
Jazz receive:
- Dennis Schroder
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Warriors trade grade
Smoke around Golden State's interest in Butler started over the summer, but the asking price at that time was too high. The one it ended up paying is pretty low.
It's tough to move Wiggins when he had recaptured some of the magic from his 2022 All-Star season and was playing well on both sides of the floor. But he had to be the matching salary in any big trade, and Butler is clearly the better player between the two.
Schroder isn't much of a loss. The Warriors took a low-risk chance on him and he wasn't fitting particularly well. Likewise, Anderson had moments where he was effective but wasn't playing much in recent games.
Moving only one of the team's two first-round picks is a pretty nice piece of negotiating from Mike Dunleavy. Getting protections on that pick is even better. Golden State also got to hold onto all of its young prospects, including Jonathan Kuminga.
Putting aside the drama, Butler is still a very good player. He gives the Warriors a badly-needed second scoring option. They didn't have a second player averaging over 18 points per game, putting way too much pressure on Stephen Curry to carry the entire offense.
Butler can still bully his way to his preferred spots on the floor. He's a good facilitator and great at getting to the line. He's a streaky shooter, but he is hitting 36.1 percent from deep this year. He's also terrific in the clutch and gives the Warriors versatility at the end of games they were missing. His playoff exploits are the stuff of legends.
Giving Butler the contract extension makes this deal a little more difficult to swallow from the Warriors' side. There's such a high potential for this to go badly. If Butler's value was this low, what will it be like on a longer-term deal for more money when he's even older? But two years, which was the maximum extension length that he was eligible for, is manageable.
Overall, this does give the Warriors much more upside and a chance to maximize Curry's last few seasons where he's playing at an All-NBA level. You can't really fault Golden State too much for going with that approach.
Warriors grade: B
MORE: Does Kevin Durant's absence signal an impending trade?
Heat trade grade
There didn't appear to be much out there for Butler, so credit the Heat for finding a deal relatively quickly in this new cap environment where every trade is a slog.
The Heat didn't want to bottom out with this trade. They were seeking win-now players, and they got one back. Wiggins is still (barely) on the right side of 30 and is back to playing like a plus starter in the league.
Tucker has looked like he's no longer capable of playing rotation minutes, but he had success in Miami previously. Maybe he can get back to that level.
Erik Spoelstra is too good of a coach not to make this work. The Heat will be a solid team in the mediocre portion of the East. That's not a terrible outcome given the alternative. If the Heat hadn't made this trade, Butler would continue to be a distraction and they'd risk getting nothing for him if he opted out of his contract this summer.
The Heat didn't have a ton of leverage, had a problem on their hands and found an exit strategy that got them some value back. They're taking a step back, but it will lead to two steps forward down the line.
Heat grade: B
Jazz trade grade
The return for the Jazz is still being reported. This section will be updated once it is announced.
Grade: Incomplete
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