A flurry of trade activity Wednesday in the NBA in advance of Thursday's NBA trade deadline yielded several big deals. The Warriors finally pulled the trigger on a major trade, dealing for disgruntled Heat star Jimmy Butler and then signing him to a two-year, $121 million extension according to reports.
Here's a look at how the market responded to the trade.
NBA Trade Deadline Market Reactions
Warriors West Odds Spike After Adding Jimmy Butler
Golden State trades Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, and Dennis Schroder in exchange for Jimmy Butler
Warriors implications:
- Warriors Western Conference title odds moved from an average consensus of roughly +3800 to +2000 or shorter following the move
- Warriors Pacific Division odds moved from a consensus average +2400 to as low as +1200 at BetMGM though +2000 was still available at BetRivers.
- Warriors title odds moved from consensus +10000 to +3000 or shorter in the market.
- Butler's biggest add is to Steph Curry. The Warriors desperately needed both another weapon to take defensive pressure off of Curry and another playmaker to help provide Curry with shot opportunities. Butler does both. He's inconsistent night to night at this point in his career but his best games are still elite and his good games are still great. His bad games are below league average and his worst games are wretched due to his age and inability to summon effort. But as a second scorer and connector, he'll fit great.
- Butler's no longer an elite defender, but he's extremely savvy in passing lanes and he and Draymond Green will muck up possessions through positioning and physicality.
- The two-year, $120 million extension was patently insane given Butler's problems with conditioning, availability, age, and attitude, but also, the Warriors decided that between gambling on one more special Playoff Jimmy run or going quietly into the night, they'd rather howl.
Heat implications:
- Heat Southeast division futures odds actually improved, going from +150 consensus to +100 after acquiring Wiggins.
- Kyle Anderson is not expected to stay with Miami and be rerouted. Dennis Schróder was sent to the Jazz.
- Heat Eastern Conference futures moved slightly, with DraftKings moving from +7000 to +6500.
- Wiggins is capable, as far as his skill set, but his impact has been a negative the past two seasons and his bad shooting slumps are uniformly terrible. The Heat draft pick they acquired from the Warriors is honestly the best asset they added.
- Wiggins' contract goes through 2027, meaning it is one season too long for Miami's well-reported goal of clearing the decks for 2026 NBA free agency. I would not expect Wiggins to finish this contract on South Beach.
- If nothing else, the move settles the drama and lets the Heat, who currently are in position for both the division title and a playoff spot, get back to just trying to compete this season. Their title contention might be over, but so is the nightmare of the Jimmy Butler saga.
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