The Jimmy Butler saga with the Miami Heat ended Wednesday night when he was traded to the Golden State Warriors as part of a multiteam megadeal, sources told ESPN.
The Warriors closed the deal for Butler after negotiations to acquire Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant ended when Durant informed the team he did not want to return to Golden State, sources said. The Warriors, Heat and Suns had been nearing an agreement on a trade that would’ve landed Butler in Phoenix and Durant back where he won championships in 2017 and 2018.
As part of the agreement, Butler will decline his $52 million player option for next season and is planning to sign a new two-year, $111 million deal that carries through the 2026-27 season, sources said.
The Warriors will send forwards Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson plus a top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick to the Heat, sources said.
Also, guard Dennis Schroder, acquired by the Warriors in December, will be sent to the Utah Jazz. Utah will ship forward P.J. Tucker, who played with the Heat in 2021-22, to Miami. Guard Lindy Waters III will go from Golden State to the Detroit Pistons, and Josh Richardson will go from Miami to Detroit.
The trade was agreed to while the Heat were playing against the 76ers in Philadelphia and the Pistons were hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers. Warriors coach Steve Kerr called a team meeting to inform players just before Golden State played against the Jazz in Salt Lake City.
