Jimmy Butler Traded to Warriors; Will Face Knicks Twice

The New York Knicks will face old enemy Jimmy Butler twice in his new threads.

Oct 27, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives past Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney (5) in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

As the New York Knicks ponder their own trade deadline strategy, the Butler finally did it in South Beach.

The long-standing standoff between Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat has finally ended, as Shams Charania of ESPN has reported the six-time All-Star is heading west to the Golden State Warriors as the headliner of a multi-pronged deal.

From a Knicks perspective, New York gets to bid farewell to Butler, a lasting enemy who shared a six-game series with Manhattan's finest en route to the 2023 NBA Finals. Butler arrives in the Bay Area in time for the Warriors' yearly couple against the Knicks: Golden State visits Madison Square Garden on March 4 before hosting the Knicks at Chase Center 11 days later.

Though things soured between Butler and Heat thanks to a cold war with management led by president and former Knicks coach Pat Riley, the two sides held a properous relationship that featured two Finals showings in the last five seasons. Butler departs as the eighth-leading scorer in Heat history and as its all-time leader in triple-doubles with 13.

Elsewhere in the deal, the Heat get back P.J. Tucker, Andrew Wiggins, and a protected first-round pick from Golden State while Dennis Schroder goes to the Utah Jazz. The Detroit Pistons acquire Josh Richardson and Lindy Waters while the Toronto Raptors were set to acquired Kyle Anderson, though Charania reported that that part of the deal has fallen through.

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