Inside The Heat

Ex-Miami Heat Star Jimmy Butler "Wild, Wild West" Reacts To Golden State Trade

Shandel Richardson|
Jan 19, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) walks off the court after greeting court-side friends following the victory over the San Antonio Spurs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Jan 19, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) walks off the court after greeting court-side friends following the victory over the San Antonio Spurs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

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In December, Jimmy Butler demanded a trade from the Miami Heat.

On Wednesday, he got his wish.

Butler is reportedly getting traded to the Golden State Warriors, joining Steph Curry and Draymond Green. Butler took to Instagram to make his comments. He posted, "welcome to the wild wild west," accompanied by the song.

This is the furthest west Butler has played. He also had stops in Chicago, Philadelphia and Minnesota.

Here are the full details:

After weeks of nonstop speculation, the Heat are set to trade Butler before Thursday’s deadline. He is expected to land with the Golden State Warriors according to ESPN's Shams Charania. The Heat receive Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson and a protected first-round pick.

The six-time All-Star requested a trade Jan. 2 amid a lingering feud with Heat president Pat Riley.

Miami suspended Butler three times for misconduct in January, including missing a team flight and walking out of practice. He has been away from the team since.

Butler will now team with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, a pair of future NBA Hall of Famers.

During his six-year tenure with the Heat, Butler led them to the NBA Finals twice. In 2020, his first season, the Heat lost to LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers. In 2023, they fell to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

Despite the problems, he had one of the most successful tenures of any Heat players. Some have placed him among the likes of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal. The only thing missing was that elusive title, which Butler failed to accomplish.

While his exit wasn't pretty, Butler will have a lasting legacy in Miami.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here