The Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors agreed to a blockbuster multi-team deal on Wednesday that landed Jimmy Butler in Golden State, while Miami acquired Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, a protected first-round pick, and PJ Tucker, whom they flipped on Thursday. Butler had long awaited a change of scenery. Over the last year with Miami, tensions had flared to an unfixable level. After requesting a trade over a month ago, the situation was marked by multiple suspensions for violating team rules, plenty of controversy, and certainly a lot of drama.
Now, Butler is ready to get back on the basketball court. While he didn’t play Thursday night against the Los Angeles Lakers, he is expected to make his debut on Saturday against the Chicago Bulls. Following his arrival and introductory press conference, Butler sent a bold message of hope to Warriors fans ahead of his first game.
“Yo, Dub Nation, Jimmy Butler here. Just touched down to do this physical. Super excited, ready to win, ready to work, ready to put on a show for y’all. Championship coming soon.”
Despite the Warriors being 25-26 and now sitting as the No. 11 seed in the Western Conference after losing to the Lakers on Thursday, Butler told Warriors fans that a title is coming in the near future before his first game with the team.
Nonetheless, two seasons ago, he led the Heat to the NBA Finals after emerging from the play-in tournament. With the Warriors currently vying for a spot in the play-in with just over 30 games remaining, it’s territory that Butler is familiar with and has maximized in the postseason multiple times. This season, in 25 games, Butler averaged 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists, while shooting 54.0% from the field, 36.1% from beyond the arc, and 80.1% from the free-throw line.
