The longest saga of the NBA season came to head on February 5 when Jimmy Butler’s future was decided.
After a drawn out saga that included three suspensions, Jimmy Butler has a new home with the Golden State Warriors.
Butler was traded to Golden State after a potential Phoenix Suns move broke down, after reports claiming he was unwilling to move to the Warriors, prompting a warning from new teammate Draymond Green.
It is a move that gives the Warriors new life – but how much exactly?
Stephen A. Smith told ESPN’s First Take he is not impressed with the move, insisting it does little for the landscape of the NBA.
He made a point that this is not a league-altering switch, brutally dismissing the Warriors as ‘No more dangerous than they were yesterday.’
Smith refuses to place gravitas on the move, commenting: “It’s no knock about Jimmy Butler, but what we’re not going to do today is call this a mega-deal, it’s not a mega-deal.
“A mega-deal is if Jimmy Butler had ended up in Phoenix with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. That would have been a mega-deal. “
Butler has barely played any basketball over the past month due to suspensions, and when he did play, fans were not convinced.
He has at least committing his future to Golden State, agreeing a two-year extension.
Stephen A. added: “I’m just saying in this system, who he’s playing with, the personnel surrounding Jimmy. No. This is not a mega-deal. This is something that has got the Warriors $19.3 under the luxury tax, and it’s saving them money.
“It’s a business deal.”
The whole Jimmy Butler situation has hung over the Miami Heat as an unwelcome distraction for the past six weeks, arguably even longer.
Coach Erik Spoelstra has praised the way the Heat stars have coped with the uncertainty, and results have certainly been mixed.
Now they can move on, having acquired Andrew Wiggins from Golden State as part of the trade, who will certainly offer more than Jimmy Butler did over the past month.
Warriors receive:
Heat receive:
- Andrew Wiggins
- Kyle Anderson
- P.J. Tucker
- 2025 first-round pick (protected, Warriors)
Jazz receive:
Pistons receive:
- Lindy Waters III
- Josh Richardson
