Jimmy Butler trade: Heat send disgruntled star to Warriors after trade demand, suspensions

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Jimmy Butler was a perfect fit for the Heat, until he basically announced he wasn’t. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Jimmy Butler has once again found a new NBA team, with the bridge casually burned behind him.

The Miami Heat granted their disgruntled star’s trade request on Wednesday, finalizing a deal to send him to the Golden State Warriors.

BREAKING: The Miami Heat are finalizing a deal to send Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors for Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson and a protected first-round pick, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/82mWHKCnVM

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025

This will be Butler’s fifth NBA team, and he still has yet to leave one cleanly, though it’s not like he hasn’t been vindicated with time. He was traded from the Chicago Bulls after clashing with head coach Fred Hoiberg and questioning his teammates’ motivation. He was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves after similar clashes with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. He jumped to the Miami Heat after the Philadelphia 76ers chose Tobias Harris over him.

And now, he’s leaving the Heat after multiple suspensions, all preceded by a surreal news conference in which he pronounced he no longer had joy for the game of basketball and didn’t believe he could get it back in Miami.

The Heat first reacted by suspending Butler for seven games — a grievance from the National Basketball Players Association is still pending — and announcing they would look into trading him.

Butler was then suspended for two games after he missed a team flight. On the day that he was set to return from that suspension, Butler stormed out of a team practice after learning he wouldn’t be in the starting lineup. The Heat suspended him indefinitely, and said he would be out right up until the trade deadline at a minimum.

How Jimmy Butler and the Heat got here

All of the recent Butler drama came after the erosion of his relationship with the team’s front office, most notably team president Pat Riley.

The tension began to leak out after the Heat were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs against the Boston Celtics last season….

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/jimmy-butler-trade-heat-send-disgruntled-star-to-warriors-after-trade-demand-suspensions-011558383.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-02-06 01:15:00

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