Jimmy Butler on Being Traded to Golden State Warriors: ‘Welcome to the Wild Wild West’
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Golden State Warriors and the Miami Heat have finalized a deal that will see Jimmy Buckets go to the Bay Area
Wow... So, it looks like Jimmy Butler is headed to the Yay Area.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Golden State Warriors and the Miami Heat are finalizing a deal that will see Jimmy Buckets donning blue and gold in the Bay Area in exchange for Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schröder, Kyle Anderson, and a protected first-round pick.
Butler has reportedly agreed to a two-year, $121 million extension with the Warriors that will last through the 2026-2027 season.
After news of the trade broke, Jimmy himself took to social media to write "welcome to the wild wild west," seemingly responding to the chatter.
As part of the deal, P.J. Tucker will be returning to the Heat where he played one season.
The Pistons acquired Lindy Waters III from the Warriors and Heat guard Josh Richardson and Schröder is headed to the Utah Jazz. After initial reports indicated Anderson was going to the Toronto Raptors, negotiations fell through and Miami is still working out a resolution, which could ultimately result in him staying in South Beach.
The main takeaway from this mega-deal is that the situation between Butler and the Heat has come to an end.
Just days after ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that Jimmy informed the Warriors that, if a trade were agreed upon, he would not be interested in signing an extension with the organization, the two sides immediately came to terms on a new two-year deal.
With Thursday's NBA trade deadline looming, Butler's options were limited. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the six-time NBA All-Star was suspended indefinitely by the Heat last week after walking out of practice. It was the third time that Butler had been suspended by Miami.
Prior to the start of the season, Butler showed up to media day with "no shenanigans," which seemed to be in response to Heat president Pat Riley publicly challenging him to essentially turn over a new leaf. While Jimmy was motivated to prove to Riley that he was all-business, the 35-year-old was also driven by a possible contract extension.
Even though Riley was noncommittal about offering an extension, Butler continued to make his case until it became clear that a deal might never come.
In the end, Butler got what he wanted—but maybe not where he wanted it.
