The Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler era ended Wednesday night, just hours before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. The disgruntled and often-suspended six-time All-Star has been dealt to the Golden State Warriors — who promptly inked him to a two-year, $112 million extension.
In return, Miami acquired Andrew Wiggins and a lottery-protected first-round draft pick. Veteran guards Dennis Schroder and Kyle Anderson were also part of the transaction, with Schroder rerouted to the Utah Jazz and Anderson to the Toronto Raptors.
As part of the complex maneuvering, the Heat also traded Josh Richardson to the Detroit Pistons. The deal also involves a Heat reunion with forward P.J. Tucker, who returns to the team from the Utah Jazz.
So yeah — other than that, it's a simple trade!
If you're wondering if Butler's now-former teammates learned of the trade in real time as it transpired during their game against the Philadelphia 76ers, the answer is yes — from a fan. And it was all captured on social media.
In a video posted on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter), the aforementioned fan can be heard imparting the details of the long-anticipated trade to Heat players Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyler Herro, and Kevin Love, including what Miami will receive in return. “We robbed them,” the fan says.
Remarkably, Love can also be heard asking the year of the Heat's newly supplied first-round pick. (The fan didn't know at the time, but it's 2025, for the record.)
You can't make this stuff up! The Butler trade-demand saga ends exactly as it began: in the most chaotic way possible.No way, fans broke the Jimmy trade to the Heat bench lmao
— 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙏 𝙉𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 (@HeatvsHaters) February 6, 2025
(via @overtime) pic.twitter.com/xxnRbTCqoK
While Wiggins is still a topnotch three-and-defense player who slides perfectly into the Heat's starting rotation, you couldn’t help but be disappointed amid rumors swirling just hours earlier about a potential deal involving Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant.
That’s the bad news. The good news is the trade deadline move ends the soap opera that has been Jimmy Butler's growing discontent with, well, everything.
Butler's time in Miami was a treat until it was a trick that ended scarier than a section of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios. Butler led the Heat to the NBA Finals in 2020 and 2023, but his tenure will forever be scarred by the bullshit tactics he pulled in 2024 in search of what — after suspensions, fines, and state income taxes — might result in a net loss of money.
Miami now moves on to a fresh new era led by younger players and cap space, most notably the ability to pursue — you guessed it — Kevin Durant in 2026. It's clear Pat Riley will be doing his utmost to build the roster of his 2033 pickleball team if it's the last thing he does.
But for now, they'll roll with the addition of Canada's own Andrew "Maple Jordan" Wiggins for at least the foreseeable future.
