Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat dribbles the ball against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on Oct. 27, 2022 in San Francisco.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors are trading for Jimmy Butler, according to multiple reports, finally landing the long-desired second star to pair up with Steph Curry.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Warriors are trading Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson and a protected first-round pick to the Miami Heat to land Butler. The Athletic also reported a trade was close. Lindy Waters is also being traded to the Detroit Pistons in order to make the deal work under the NBA salary cap, according to Charania.
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Butler is also signing a two-year, $121 million extension with the Warriors, Charania and Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported. Butler had a player option for the 2025-26 season, but he is declining that to get the extra year guaranteed.
The trade report comes with less than an hour until the Dubs tip off a game against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. Warriors coach Steve Kerr pulled the players off of the court during warmups and asked the media to leave for a team meeting, a sign that a trade was near.
The Warriors have been connected to Butler for months and Butler has previously been interested in landing with Golden State in a trade. The Heat initially refused to trade Butler, but were more willing to recently as they suspended the disgruntled star three separate times. Butler, though, seem disinclined to come to the Warriors and was trying to land with the Phoenix Suns, leading to reports that he would not be willing to stay with Golden State if he were traded there.
The Warriors also explored trading for Kevin Durant in recent days and were even considering Draymond Green if it meant landing Durant. But Durant spurned any interest from his former team and said he had no desire to reunite with Curry. That led Golden State to re-focus its efforts on Butler, who apparently changed his mind on signing an extension with Golden State and put an end to a monthslong saga.
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This developing story has been updated.
Feb 5, 2025
