The longest-running NBA soap opera has come to an abrupt end as Jimmy Butler has finally been traded by the Miami Heat, officially ending this months-long saga. Wednesday night, Butler finally got his wish as he was traded to the Golden State Warriors in a multi-team blockbuster deal that included Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, PJ Tucker, and others.
BREAKING: The Miami Heat are finalizing a deal to send Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors for Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson and a protected first-round pick, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/82mWHKCnVM
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025
Butler and Pat Riley reached a stalemate when the team refused to offer him the maximum extension he was hoping for in the offseason. One thing led to another and things have escalated dramatically to the point where Butler officially requested a trade out of Miami and the Heat have suspended him multiple times.
Butler not only was granted his trade request, he was also dealt to one of the original teams on his list, a team with veteran stars on his timeline in Steph Curry and Draymond Green, and he immediately signed a new two-year, $121 million extension.
Nuggets were a team to watch in Butler sweepstakes
Although there was no firm reporting that the Nuggets had actually made an offer for Butler, the dots were fairly obvious to connect. There was much speculation that with Butler’s depleted price, a team in win-now mode with limited spending power like the Nuggets would be a natural fit.
Denver would have had to give up Michael Porter Jr., more salary filler, and likely their 2031 first-round pick to make it happen, which seems pretty comparable to their eventual return from the Warriors.
Since the Nuggets don’t have the premium assets as some other teams, MPJ and the 2031 first is really all they have to dangle for a star. They can throw in young players like Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and Julian Strawther, but those aren’t huge needle-movers.
The lack of assets has made it very difficult for the Nuggets to make a massive upgrade or shoot for a premier superstar, forcing them to settle for “stars” with warts like Butler and Zach LaVine.
Butler was last remaining star on trade block that Nuggets could have landed
Now that Butler and LaVine have both been scooped up, it’s hard to imagine any star trade out there for Denver. The Nuggets won’t have the firepower to get in the mix for a player like Kevin Durant and they shouldn’t stoop to the levels of someone like Brandon Ingram.
Add that to Michael Malone stating decisively that the Nuggets won’t be trading Michael Porter Jr., and any hopes of the Nuggets acquiring a star at the deadline are all but dead. It was always a long shot to begin with, but with the crazy moves that have been happening around the league recently, nothing would have been shocking.
Denver needs to pivot and focus on making some good moves on the margin, bolstering the bench and depth, attacking weaknesses, and gearing up to make a playoff run with the guys currently on the roster.