The hit show, As the Jimmy Butler Turns, was great over the past year, but became tiresome and redundant recently. On Wednesday, we finally got the series finale, and it was a good one.
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Miami Heat are trading Butler to the Golden State Warriors for Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson and a protected first-round pick.
About a month ago, Golden State and Miami were in discussions for Butler, but two huge issues were roadblocks:
- Golden State did not want to part with Jonathan Kuminga.
- Butler did not want to sign a long-term deal with Golden State.
Both were rectified on Wednesday, as the Warriors were able to keep Kuminga while Butler agreed to sign a two-year, $121 extension that will keep Butler in the Bay through the 2026-27 season.
The Detroit Pistons were the third team involved for salary cap reasons, acquiring Lindy Waters from Golden State. There could be a few more teams involved, but this is what we have so far.
Jimmy Butler, despite being 35 years old, is one of the best two-way players in the league.
When engaged.
And that’s been an issue for the mercurial star. But playing alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green should re-invigorate him for the short run and he should seamlessly fit into the motion-based offense of Golden State.
Butler is a bonafide scorer when needed and has averaged over 20 points per game in nine seasons. He’s not a three-level scorer, though, as he slices and dices defenses in the midrange, but at 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds, he can get to his spots in the paint.
It’s his pace and vision that are most alluring in this scenario. Butler never rushes, which will allow all the off-ball movement to flourish. Stephen Curry should benefit from having another player that will, not only, suck defensive gravity away from him, but also feed him the ball when he’s screaming around screens.
Butler is also a good defender due to his size and IQ. He and Green should make for a formidable duo on that end. The main question will be if the two can coexist mentally and emotionally. I could forsee something happening in the future, but for now, things should be fine. As long as the Warriors are stacking Ws.
Does this make Golden State a contender? According to DK Sportsbook, the Warriors are now tied with the Clippers for the fifth-lowest odds to win the Western Conference at +1200. The Western Conference is stacked, but the Warriors have beaten the Thunder twice this season without Butler.
Anything can happen and the move gives a shot in the arm for Golden State and at least provides Curry with some help for what will likely be his last hurrah.
For Miami, just blowing the drama west is a win. Andrew Wiggins isn’t of the caliber of Butler, but he has good size at 6-foot-7, 197 pounds and was the number one overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. There were once Maple Jordan nicknames being thrown around, as the Canadian was once thought to be the next Mike. And he’s still only 29 years old.
Anyways, Wiggins has scored at least 16 points per game in all 11 seasons. He’s also turned himself into a good three-point shooter, converting in the 38% to 39% range in four of the last five seasons. Wiggins doesn’t dish out many dimes and the defensive stats are lacking, but he did show in the championship year with Golden State that he could be an impactful rebounder and defender. Let’s see what Heat Culture can bring out of him.
