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Jimmy Butler has gotten his wish. He’s being traded out of Miami.
The Heat and the Golden State Warriors have agreed on a deal that sends Butler to the Bay Area, a person with knowledge of the talks said Wednesday. The trade ends a Miami era for Butler that will be remembered first for two trips to the NBA Finals and then three suspensions toward the end of a hostile breakup.
Golden State is making it happen by moving Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson and first-round draft compensation out in the deal, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not gotten league approval.
Wiggins is staying in Miami and, for now, Anderson is as well, the source said. Schroder is getting moved to Utah — where the Warriors, coincidentally, were Wednesday night — and Josh Richardson is heading from Miami to Detroit as part of the deal. Also on the move: PJ Tucker, who hasn’t played yet this season, was just traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to Utah and now is set to rejoin the Heat.
The Heat will get a protected first-rounder from Golden State; for now, that is a pick in this year’s draft though that could change based on final terms. And ESPN reported that Butler has already agreed on a two-year extension with the Warriors, one that would be worth around $120 million.
The trade makes March 25 a very significant day — Golden State at Miami, the first time Butler could play again in South Florida.
Golden State becomes Butler’s fifth team, after stints in Chicago, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Miami. His arrivals were celebrated in all four cities, and his departures weren’t exactly smooth in any of them.
But with the Warriors, he joins Stephen Curry and Draymond Green — the two players left who have been part of all four recent Golden State title teams, with hopes of getting back to title contention.
The Warriors had a closed-door meeting in the locker room Wednesday as news of the trade was getting out; coach Steve Kerr met with the team during the period that the room is typically open to reporters before games.
Butler’s breakup with the Heat brewed for months. The primary issue that caused the beginning of the end of his Miami stint was money; he’s eligible for a two-year, $113 million extension and the Heat never offered such a deal, largely because he’s missed about 25% of the team’s games since he arrived in 2019.
There were other factors as well. Neither side was particularly happy with the other at the end, and it became evident that the fracture couldn’t be repaired. When he said he didn’t expect to find on-court joy with the Heat again in early January, he was suspended for seven games as the last straw on a list of what the team called detrimental conduct.
That was the start of a wild ending: Butler was suspended three times in January alone, the second a two-game ban for missing a team flight, the last an indefinite one of at least five games that followed him leaving shootaround early after learning he wasn’t going to start a Jan. 27 game against Orlando.