After five months of on-and-off conflict and suspensions, Jimmy Butler is no longer with the Miami Heat. On Wednesday, February 5th, Heat president Pat Riley traded Butler to the Golden State Warriors as part of a five-team trade. The pieces heading to Miami are Andrew Wiggins, PJ Tucker and a Golden State protected first-round pick. Also, Lindy Waters and Josh Richardson are going to the Detroit Pistons, Kyle Anderson is going to the Toronto Raptors and Dennis Schroder is going to the Utah Jazz.
Of course, the biggest part of the deal is Butler heading to the Bay Area. The Warriors had been trying to find some help for Stephen Curry, and they spent a couple of days trying to pry Kevin Durant away from the Phoenix Suns. But in the end, the best Golden State was able to do was land Butler. The six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA player then quickly inked a two-year, $121 million extension with his new team.
Butler is a very good player. His resume speaks for itself, and he is averaging 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game this season. Butler has always been a phenomenal two-way contributor, and he brings a fire and tenacity that most teams love. He’s also known for taking his game to another level in the postseason. But it’s no secret that Butler can rub teammates the wrong way, and he has pretty much worn out his welcome at all of his previous stops. Golden State is betting that a championship environment, plus the respect that comes with giving him a new contract, will have Butler on his best behavior.
There’s no denying the Warriors did well when looking at talent in and talent out. And the betting odds reflect that, as DraftKings Sportsbook moved Golden State from 50-1 to 35-1 to win the NBA championship after the trade. But talent isn’t everything in the NBA. Fit can be just as important.
DraftKings Trading Manager Matt Grill joined Tim Murray and Jonathan Von Tobel on VSiN Primetime to talk about the odds adjustments.
The Warriors now have a roster in which Butler, Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green are the best players after Curry. All three of those guys are questionable 3-point shooters. So, while Golden State now has some impressive defensive options and good, strong athletes, the team could struggle to space the floor. The Warriors also have to try and build chemistry on the fly, and they’re doing it with some players that don’t play well with everybody. Golden State also doesn’t have a lot of time to make all of this work. The Warriors are just 25-24 on the year, and there’s no guarantee they even make the Play-In Tournament. So, head coach Steve Kerr has to make things happen, and he has to make them happen fast.
I actually believe the Heat did very well in this trade. Butler had no interest in playing for Miami, and he did very little to contribute to the team’s solid start to the season. Well, Wiggins is averaging 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game this season, and he’s shooting 37.9% from 3 on 5.8 attempts per game. Wiggins is just a rock-solid offensive player, he’s a stellar wing defender and he’s also a low-maintenance teammate. He should fit in very nicely with a Heat team that is still looking to make the postseason, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Erik Spoelstra gets the very best out of him. Also, the Warriors pick can be a good asset down the road.
Miami moved from 130-1 down to 100-1 to win the NBA title, and I wouldn’t suggest playing the team to do any significant damage the rest of the way. But I wouldn’t mind looking to the Over on the Heat’s in-season win total, and this is a team that could be a good against-the-spread option moving forward.
