The Miami Heat are trading Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors in a massive five-team deal which was first reported on Wednesday ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline, and became official on Thursday night. In conjunction with the trade, Butler has agreed to a two-year, $111 million extension to stick with the Warriors through 2027, according to Bobby Marks.
The other teams involved in the megadeal are the Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz. Here are the full terms of the trade:
- Heat receive: Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, PJ Tucker, Davion Mitchell, 2025 first-round pick via Warriors (top-10 protected)
- Warriors receive: Jimmy Butler
- Jazz receive: KJ Martin, Josh Richardson, 2028 second-round pick via Philadelphia 76ers, 2031 second-round pick via Heat
- Pistons receive: Lindy Waters III, Dennis Schroder, 2031 second-round pick via Warriors
- Raptors receive: PJ Tucker, 2026 second-round pick via Heat, cash
The Warriors will hope the deal gives Stephen Curry and Draymond Green the veteran co-star that they need to seriously compete for a fifth championship. The Heat get to start fresh after a tumultuous season with their former star forward.
“We’re thrilled to acquire an elite player of Jimmy Butler’s stature,” Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said. “Jimmy has performed at the highest level for many years in our league, especially when the lights are the brightest during the postseason, and his two-way capabilities are perfectly suited for our team. We felt we needed another difference-maker on our roster and his addition certainly accomplishes that.”
The first rumblings that the Heat were interested in moving Butler came at team president Pat Riley’s end-of-season press conference last spring, in which he indicated that Butler’s limited availability would factor into the team’s willingness to give him a long-term contract extension. Miami ultimately did not give Butler a new deal last summer, and the rumors picked up this season after a slow start for both the player and the team. Butler has a player option after the season and can therefore become a free agent in June, and with the Heat hovering around .500, a move seemingly grew likelier by the day.
When reporting suggested that Butler would prefer a trade in December there was denial on all sides. Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, publicly disputed the reporting of ESPN’s Shams Charania, and Riley issued a statement saying that Butler would be staying put.
“We usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches. Therefore, we will make it clear — We are not trading Jimmy Butler,” Riley wrote.
However, things came to a head following a Jan. 3 win over the New Orleans Pelicans in which team officials reportedly implied that he did not try hardest. A trade request reportedly followed soon after, and on Jan. 4, the Heat suspended Butler seven games for “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks.” He has since been suspended two more times, once for missing a team flight, and then again after walking out of a shootaround. His latest suspension was an indefinite one and Butler has not played since Jan. 21.
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Sam Quinn
Aside from the Suns, the Warriors were the team most frequently linked to Butler on the trade market. Initially, however, reports indicated that talks had broken down over Butler’s hesitance to sign an extension with the Warriors. As the deadline grew closer and a deal to the Suns proved impossible, however, Butler has seemingly warmed up to the idea of a trade to Golden State — and the idea of an extension.
Ironically, the Suns proved vital to this deal on both sides of the equation. This week, the Warriors attempted to trade for Kevin Durant when it seemed as though Butler would be unwilling to sign an extension with them. Talks appeared to be gaining momentum until Durant reportedly made it clear that he was not interested in a return to the Warriors. Miami, meanwhile, reportedly looked into a Durant deal as well, but by making this trade, they seemingly signaled that the Suns had elected not to deal him to them.
The Warriors were in need of a star player, and with Durant unavailable for a trade with the Suns, Butler needed a new team, making this trade possible.
This trade marks the third major blockbuster of the 2025 deadline, following the Lakers acquiring Luka Doncic and sending Anthony Davis to the Mavericks, and the Spurs acquiring De’Aaron Fox from the Kings.
Earlier in the season, key figures in Golden State were against making rushed win-now trades. However, as the season progressed, it became evident that the Warriors required a significant trade to boost their chances of another title shot for Curry and Green. The acquisition of Butler is the most impactful veteran addition since Durant joined the team in 2016.