Why Warriors trading for Butler may reek of desperation

Jimmy Butler. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Why Warriors trading for Jimmy Butler may reek of desperation

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Feb 6, 2025 4:17 PM ET

The Golden State Warriors acquired forward Jimmy Butler in a blockbuster deal ahead of Thursday's trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET, but will it backfire?

On Wednesday, ESPN's Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst reported the Miami Heat sent Butler to the Golden State Warriors for forwards Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson and a top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick. The Utah Jazz and the Detroit Pistons were also included in the four-team deal.

Butler will not be a one-year rental for the Warriors. According to Charania and Windhorst, he has agreed to a new two-year, $121M deal through the 2026-27 season. He has waived his 2025-26 player option to make it happen.

New Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler has agreed to a new two-year, $121 million extension with the franchise through 2026-27, sources tell me and @WindhorstESPN. Butler is declining his 2025-26 player option for this new $121M deal.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025

Trading for Butler already carried risk, but extending him makes the deal even more dicey.

It would be worthwhile if Butler were a young star, yet the 35-year-old may be exiting his prime.

In his first 25 games with the Heat this season, the six-time All-Star averaged 17 points per game, the fourth-lowest mark of his 14-year career. He also logged 5.2 rebounds per game and 4.8 rebounds per game.

That may be why Butler wasn't the Warriors' first choice. Longtime NBA insider Marc Stein reported Golden State pivoted to Butler after Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant indicated he didn't want to reunite with the club.

If Durant had been interested in rejoining the Warriors, he would've been a much better option than Butler. In his first 39 games with the Suns, the two-time champion averaged 26.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 4.2 APG.

Butler may also clash with the organization. Before Miami traded him, it had suspended him three times for conduct detrimental to the team.

Butler carried the Heat to the 2020 NBA Finals, but don't bet on him helping the Warriors (25-24) win their seventh title. This seems like a desperate move for a dynasty that could be crumbling.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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