The Golden State Warriors have reached an agreement to acquire Jimmy Butler in a trade with the Miami Heat in a multi-team swap, a person with knowledge of the deal confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.
The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the deal until it is officially announced.
Butler plans to sign a two-year, $121 million extension that will have him under contract through 2026-27.
Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schröder, Kyle Anderson and a first-round draft pick are on the move in a deal that also involves Golden State’s Lindy Waters III and Miami’s Josh Richardson.
Detroit will receive Richardson from Miami and Waters from Golden State; Utah will acquire Schröder from Golden State and Utah will trade P.J. Tucker to Miami, which also gets Wiggins, Anderson and a protected 2025 first-round pick from Golden State. And the deal could expand further still.
A Butler trade has been brewing, and it became apparent that Miami needed to make a deal when it suspended him seven games for “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks.’
‘Through his actions and statements, he has shown he no longer wants to be part of this team. Jimmy Butler and his representative have indicated that they wish to be traded, therefore, we will listen to offers,” the Heat said in a news release Jan. 3.
The Heat suspended Butler for two games Jan. 22 and suspended him indefinitely Jan. 27 ‘due to a continued pattern of disregard of team rules, engaging in conduct detrimental to the team and intentionally withholding services. This includes walking out of practice earlier (Jan. 27).’
Butler wasn’t happy with a diminished role and was seeking another lucrative deal that likely wasn’t coming from the Heat. The distraction became too much for the relationship between the two sides to continue. A once fruitful relationship is over after five-plus seasons and two NBA Finals appearances. His final game with the Heat was Jan. 21.
(This story was updated with new information.)
Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt
