The Warriors appear to have made their big splash.
Golden State is finalizing a blockbuster trade to acquire Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat and is parting with Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schröder, Kyle Anderson, Lindy Waters III and a protected first-round draft pick, ESPN's Shams Charania reported, citing sources, shortly before the Warriors' game against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.
Per Charania, Waters and Miami's Josh Richardson are headed to the Detroit Pistons as part of what is a multi-team deal, and Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report and The Stein Line reported, citing sources, Schröder will go to the Jazz.
As part of the deal, Warriors' Lindy Waters III and Heat's Josh Richardson are headed to the Detroit Pistons, sources said. https://t.co/JPBWVEnPZJ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025
Additionally, Charania reported that Butler has agreed to a new two-year, $121 million contract extension with Golden State.
New Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler has agreed to a new two-year, $121 million extension with the franchise through 2026-27, sources tell me and @WindhorstESPN. Butler is declining his 2025-26 player option for this new $121M deal.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025
Anderson originally was going to the Toronto Raptors in the deal, per Charania, but he reported later on Wednesday that Anderson now will remain with the Heat.
NBA insider Zach Lowe reported, citing sources, that the Heat will receive Golden State's 2025 first-round pick, protected for selections 1 through 10, in the deal.
If the pick still has not conveyed by 2026 draft (very unlikely, it would seem), the Heat will receive GSW's 2027 first-round pick unprotected as part of the Butler deal, sources say. https://t.co/pl6x6LXsTo
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) February 6, 2025
Butler appeared to confirm the deal with a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, after the news broke.
welcome to the wild wild west ???? pic.twitter.com/dTh3njwWeX
— Jimmy Butler (@JimmyButler) February 6, 2025
The news ends a nearly two-month-long saga which saw Butler suspended multiple times as he sought a trade out of Miami. The Warriors reportedly shifted their focus to acquiring Butler on Wednesday after falling short in their pursuit of a Kevin Durant reunion.
And despite Butler reportedly telling Golden State recently he would not sign a contract extension if the Warriors were to trade for him, those promises appear to have flown out the window.
Butler is averaging 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 25 games with the Heat this season, while shooting 54 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from 3-point range. The six-time NBA All-Star joins a Warriors team in desperate need of a second scorer alongside Steph Curry, but Golden State is parting with one of its beloved players who appeared to be sliding back into that role.
Wiggins, who helped Golden State win the 2022 NBA Finals, departs having averaged 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 43 games this season.
Schröder, whom the Warriors acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in an December trade, never quite caught on with Curry and Co. and averaged 10.6 points in a Golden State uniform. Nor did Anderson, who averaged just 5.2 points in 15 minutes per game with the Warriors. Waters was acquired by the Warriors during a 2024 draft-day trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder
Shortly before Charania reported the trade, there were signs it was coming. Warriors coach Steve Kerr held a meeting with the team before Wednesday's game against the Jazz. Shortly before and after that meeting, some players appeared to say their goodbyes, per ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk on X.
The Golden State locker room has been closed just now during open media time. Steve Kerr is addressing the team. Players that were on the floor were brought back into the locker room.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) February 6, 2025
"After Wiggins came off court following his warmup, an assistant coach, security, Steph Curry all dapped him up on his way back to locker room," Youngmisuk also wrote on X. "In the locker room, couple of players walked over to Wiggins to shake hands with him in locker room. Shortly after, locker room closed."
The reported deal appears risky for the Warriors, but they have been hunting fervently for a star in the weeks leading up to Thursday's NBA trade deadline. And now, it seems, they got him.
