Tag: Miami Heat

Social media reacts to Jimmy Butler getting traded to Warriors: ‘Joe Lacob grasping at straws to stay relevant’

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler got his wish granted when he was traded to Golden State in a four-team deal involving Andrew Wiggins. He then signed a two-year, $121 million extension with the Dubs. Check out the social media reactions to the trade …

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler got his wish granted when he was traded to Golden State in a four-team deal involving Andrew Wiggins. He then signed a two-year, $121 million extension with the Dubs.

Check out the social media reactions to the trade down below:

Heat players on the bench heard about the Jimmy Butler trade from a fan in the stands

Welcome to 2025.

Wednesday night’s Jimmy Butler trade from the Miami Heat to the Golden State Warriors came during Miami’s road game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

One fan shared the news about the Butler trade from the stands to players on the Heat bench during the game, with a video circulating on social media documenting the exchange.

These are the times we live in; a fan at a game can just check their phone and share news about a team with the team’s players while they’re on the bench.

Butler joining Golden State will be one of the marquee moves of this NBA trade deadline, and these Heat players really may have first heard about it from a fan in the stands.

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Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins trade grades: Who won the Warriors-Heat deal?

Jimmy Butler isn’t Kevin Durant. But it’s still something.

Even though Jimmy Butler informed the Warriors he would not sign an extension if he was traded there, the six-time All-Star landed there anyway.

Moments after the news broke that Butler was traded from the Heat to the Warriors, however, he reportedly agreed to a two-year extension with the franchise anyway.

Golden State surrendered a package including Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, Dennis Schroder, Lindy Waters III, and one protected first-round pick.

Of course, the deal got incredibly complicated and expanded to include several teams. Here is what you need to know based on the reporting so far:

Trade details

Warriors get: Jimmy Butler

Heat get: Andrew Wiggins, P.J. Tucker, Kyle Anderson (will potentially get moved), 2025 first-round pick from GSW (protected 1-10)

Pistons get: Lindy Waters III, Josh Richardson

Jazz get: Dennis Schroder, 2031 second-round pick

Golden State Warriors

As bizarre as this was for the Warriors after striking out on a potential reunion with Kevin Durant before the NBA trade deadline, Golden State found another high-caliber player to pair with Stephen Curry.

The question with Butler remains the same as always, though: Will he contribute at his potential? If so, this could easily help Golden State remain contenders while Curry is still an All-Star.

But if he decides he is no longer bought in and causes similar distractions as he did in previous stops along the way in his NBA career, this would become a far riskier decision.

Volatile though it may feel, the reward is tremendous if the Warriors get “Playoff Jimmy” in the postseason. If they don’t, though, then they may have bigger issues in Golden State.

Grade: B-

Miami Heat 

Miami lost a lot of leverage as they continued to suspend Butler, making it evidently clear to the entire league that both parties no longer wanted to work together any longer.

Yet they still managed to return some at least mildly decent assets with Wiggins and a potentially valuable (protected) first-round pick.

Especially for a team that has drafted fairly well recently with Kel’el Ware and Jamie Jaquez Jr., that is more interesting than people may immediately give it credit for at first glance.

Wiggins is not exactly a star but he should fit in well alongside Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. This was not a home run return for Butler, but it wasn’t too shabby either, as they got everything they wanted in the deal.

They also managed to get out of the luxury tax in the process as well.

Grade: A-

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Jimmy Butler signed a post-trade Warriors extension after saying he wouldn’t

Things changed quickly for Jimmy Butler and the Warriors.

Well, new Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler came to California with a new contract in tow despite a report that he wasn’t interested in this very scenario.

Wednesday’s bombshell trade that sent Butler to the Warriors from the Miami Heat was immediately followed by news from ESPN’s Shams Charania about a new contract.

Butler’s reported two-year, $121 million contract extension locks him in with Golden State for the foreseeable future with superstar guard Steph Curry. Butler’s arrival should help steady the Warriors in the 2025 Western Conference playoff hunt.

However, this situation didn’t look viable earlier in the week.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst shared a report on Monday that Butler told Golden State he wasn’t willing to sign a new deal with the team, which made the prospects of a trade look quite questionable.

However, the deal reportedly came together anyway. Funny how this all works out in the end!

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Why the Suns are (probably) not trading Kevin Durant back to the Warriors

The momentum has calmed on KD.

For a brief period, several NBA reporters were suggesting that Kevin Durant would potentially reunite with the Golden State Warriors.

Now, however, it seems those talks have stalled and a potential deal is no longer likely. There are several reasons why a deal fails to materialize, but based on the reporting it seems that the main reason this one did not happen is due to hesitance from Durant.

Here is the latest from Marc Stein and Jake Fischer (via The Stein Line):

“1. There is a distinct sense percolating now that Durant does not want to be traded at all this week … to the extent that he can control it.

2. It is believed that Durant has some serious reservations about a second Warriors stint if he were to be shipped there.”

Durant does not have a no-trade clause, but as noted by Chris Haynes, the Warriors would not have much interest in trading for Durant if he does not actually want to play there.

Shams Charania offered a similar take as well (via ESPN):

“The Warriors have been seriously pursuing Kevin Durant over the last week. But sources tell me that Durant has no desire in a reunion with the Warriors. He does not want to go back to the Warriors, where he won two championships, where he won two Finals MVPs … One thing is clear around the league right now, that’s Kevin Durant does not want to go back to the Warriors in any trade. So for the Warriors, do they continue this pursuit of Kevin Durant?”

If the Warriors were to go after him despite his lack of interest, it won’t come cheap.

Here is the reported cost, according to Sam Amick (via The Athletic):

“In exploratory conversations, the Warriors have only been met with an exorbitant asking price in theoretical structures — essentially everything of future value — considering the tricky spot the Suns seem to find themselves. League sources say four-time All-Star forward Draymond Green, who has an established relationship with fellow Michigan State alum and Suns owner Mat Ishbia, is among the Warriors players Phoenix is known to covet.”

Golden State is simply not going to give up “everything of future value” for a player who does not want to play for them.

So that is probably why ESPN’s Marc Spears reported that the deal is “dead” currently.

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The Heat’s not-so-subtle Bam Adebayo posts had A’ja Wilson fans swooning

“Favorite Olympian from out of town.”

The Miami Heat social media accounts are totally in on stirring the pot with rumored couple Bam Adebayo and A’ja Wilson.

Bam and A’ja have not *officially* announced that they’re dating. But, for months, headlines have been swirling about the pair. Whether it’s tweets of Bam seemingly trolling us all or A’ja’s Aces teammates and the Miami-Dade major seemingly leaning into the assumptions, the stories about Bam and A’ja are growing.

On Sunday, the Miami Heat certainly didn’t help. Here’s what we mean.

Just hours before a not-so-subtle Bam Adebayo tweet, South Carolina retired A’ja Wilson’s jersey. During Wilson’s thank you speech, she noted some of the folks in attendance, specifically calling out her “favorite Olympian from out of town.”  (See the 1:50 mark of the clip below.)

Well, you know what the Miami Heat did? They shared photos of a certain “favorite Olympian.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFlW1ERSxcx/?igsh=MXY1eGZjZ21sdXlicQ==

Of course, this made A’ja Wilson fans swoon. Here’s how they reacted.

Then, the Las Vegas Aces entered the chat because, of course, they did.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFlGZ6zykFD/?igsh=MWVmZ2pxYWs5dnd0ag==

As you can see, the Bam-A’ja conspiracy lives on.

This isn’t ending any time soon.

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The Heat trying to out-petty Jimmy Butler isn’t going to work

This is not going to end well in Miami.

This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.

Good morning, Winners! Happy Tuesday. Thanks for rocking with TMW today.

The Jimmy Butler saga in Miami just keeps getting worse.

The dude just got back from a prior team suspension, and now, apparently, he’s suspended indefinitely for walking out of a team shootaround.

Is he taking it seriously? Absolutely not. He’s posting memes about how he doesn’t have a job anymore, like Tommy from Martin.

Guys. Who could’ve seen this coming?

OH, WAIT. We did.

Heat fans, I hate to say I told you so, but I definitely told you so.

The Miami Heat needed to trade Jimmy Butler weeks ago when this whole suspension saga started, but at the very least, it needed to happen last week when the team decided to suspend him for two games.

JIMMY BUTLER IS A CHAOS AGENT: Things have steadily gone downhill since he returned to the Heat from suspension.

Butler walked out of shootaround because, according to Kevin Love’s extremely hilarious and messy Instagram post, the Heat planned on starting Haywood Highsmith over him in their next game.

On one hand, I get it. Butler hasn’t been part of the team over this last month. He’s actively tried to force his way out. So it makes sense to reward someone who actually wants to be there with a starting spot over a guy who doesn’t.

On the other hand, Butler is better than Highsmith on his worst day. That’s not a knock on Highsmith — it’s just the truth! We all know it. So, yeah, I can see Butler crashing out a bit when he gets that news.

Here’s the thing: The Heat are trying to out-petty Jimmy Butler right now.

Butler is doing things to get under the team’s skin, and Miami is doing the same in return. They’ve demoted him, suspended him, and taken chunks of his salary away. That wouldn’t go over well with anyone, but certainly not the guy who has burned every bridge he’s walked across in his career.

And that’s the thing, man. Somebody needs to tell the Heat that they won’t out-petty Jimmy Butler. He won’t let you do it. He’s going to get the last laugh. He always does. Just ask the Timberwolves how that goes. That man embarrassed his team in practice and then sat down with Rachel Nichols to let us all know that he did it.

He always finds a way to embarrass you in the end. That’s what he does. He’s chaos through and through. So, sure, the Heat may have him cornered now with the demotion and the suspension. But this isn’t over. Not by a long shot.

I am begging Miami to please trade this man before things get worse.

MLB, please be cooler next season

We absolutely need to see minute-long home-run trots like the one Junior Caminero did in LIDOM, a professional Dominican Republic winter league.

Look at him strut, y’all.

Mary Clarke has more on the situation here. This is definitely a strut-worthy moment.

“Monday night saw the close of the LIDOM, a professional Dominican Republic winter league, with Game 7 of the championship between the Leones del Escogido and the Tigres del Licey. And in the top of the ninth inning with the game tied 5-5, Caminero — an infielder for the Tampa Bay Rays — absolutely blasted what would end up being the game-winning home run to deep center field to give the Leones del Escogido the lead.”

Do something like this in Major League Baseball and you’re likely to get pelted by a ball six months later when you face the same pitcher again for the first time. It’s so corny.

MLB is a great league, but it can be so much more fun if it brings life like this into it. Please, baseball, let it happen someday.

It’s OK to hate the Chiefs

(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Ever since Nate Burleson went on his spiel about how people need to appreciate the greatness of the Chiefs after Kansas City made it to a third consecutive Super Bowl, there’s been a conversation going about whether that’s actually necessary.

And, look. I like the Chiefs. I’m someone who loves to see a video game boss in sports. Patrick Mahomes is my GOAT QB.

But people don’t have to like them. They don’t have to like anyone. It’s sports! Sometimes, you can be a hater. It’s fine! The Chiefs have everything else already. They don’t need your love, too.

Cory Woodroof spelled it out better than I ever could here.

“The Chiefs are everywhere, and we’re now expected to be happy for them lest we disrespect the very game of football. This is like forcing people to be happy for a billionaire who finds a twenty-dollar bill on the sidewalk.

How many times do we have to hear Kelce yell the lyrics to the Beastie Boys until we’ve justifiably had enough? How many times do we need to hear NFL broadcasters wax poetic about the greatness of Mahomes when he’s not even playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL?

How many times do we have to hear a team that has won three Super Bowls in five seasons groan on and on about how nobody believed in them when they’re literally the most popular team in the country?

How many reruns of that obnoxious David Lynch nightmare State Farm Bundle-Rooski commercial do we have to watch until we “Bundle-Rooski-Doo” our remotes into the television screen and watch it shatter into a million fragments of color?”

Put them hater-shades on, folks. It’s alright.

Quick hits: The Super Bowl is scripted … Oof, Liam Coen … and more

— The Super Bowl logo is perfectly color-coded again smh. HOW DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING?!? Andrew Joseph has more.

— Liam Coen screwed up the “Duval” chant in his opening press conference with the Jaguars. Cory Woodroof has more.

— South Carolina suspended a DJ who played a song tied to Flau’Jae Johnson. Sheesh. Meg Hall has more.

— Mac McClung deserves a roster spot if he’s going to keep saving the NBA Dunk Contest. Here’s Bryan Kalbrosky with more.

— Jerry Jones is defending the Brian Schottenhimer hire like only Jerry Jones can. Cory has more.

— Remember that phantom flag at the end of the Bills-Chiefs game? Here’s an explainer for that. Christian D’Andrea has more.

That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for reading. Have a fantastic Tuesday. Peace.

-Sykes ✌️

Why the Heat suspended Jimmy Butler for the third time this season

Jimmy Butler now faces a suspension for the third time this month.

Jimmy Butler’s tumultuous relationship with the Miami Heat took another turn on Monday as the team is suspending the six-time NBA All-Star for the third time this season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Per Charania, the suspension came after Butler walked out of a team shootaround after being informed that he would no longer be starting.

The team has called the suspension “indefinite,” but the Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman reported that it will last a minimum of five games.

It’s the latest sign of a deteriorating relationship between the two. Butler was first suspended by the heat earlier this month after publicly stating that he didn’t think he could find joy playing basketball again in Miami.

That suspension, which lasted seven games, was officially due to Butler making a public trade request, according to a team statement.

Then, on Jan. 22, Butler was suspended an additional two games after missing a team flight. Now, he faces his third suspension of the month, and while he could potentially return after five games, it’s unclear if the superstar will suit up again for Miami.

Butler has appeared in 25 games this season and is averaging 17 points, the fewest since his third season in the NBA in 2013-14. The 35-year-old has played for the Heat since 2019.

Update: This was how Butler reacted to the news on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFWBJWOBxPs/?igsh=YWt5czE5MWVrb3Zi

Pat Connaughton/Blake Wesley NBA Tracker: Jan. 20-26

One player got to go overseas this past week.

Former Notre Dame guard [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] had the opportunity of a lifetime this past week. He traveled with the San Antonio Spurs to Paris to play two games against the Indiana Pacers. He appeared in both games, and while he failed to score in either one, he did have three assists and a steal in the first game.

Wesley also was the subject of a very prominent post we published this past week. We sat down for an interview with his parents Derrick and Leslie. Our thanks again to them for taking the time to do that.

Back in the U.S., [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag], Notre Dame’s other active NBA player, got some playing time with the Milwaukee Bucks. He scored his only basket while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists Jan. 23 against the Miami Heat. He had one more rebound and two more assists Jan. 25 against the Los Angeles Clippers, bringing his weekly averages to 1.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

Here is a gallery of both players from the past week:

Terry Rozier: ‘I’m a strong believer that things will turn around’

The Miami Heat have been in the news cycle with Jimmy Butler trade rumors perpetually notifying people of the ongoing saga between the disgruntled star and the franchise. Last year, around the NBA trade deadline, the Heat were in the news for …

The Miami Heat have been in the news cycle with Jimmy Butler trade rumors perpetually notifying people of the ongoing saga between the disgruntled star and the franchise.

Last year, around the NBA trade deadline, the Heat were in the news for another trade that brought guard Terry Rozier from the Hornets, for which they gave up the 2027 first-round pick. Rozier was a starter for Charlotte for four-and-a-half seasons before being moved to the Heat. He had an immediate impact last year, providing them with a steady replacement lead guard for the aged Kyle Lowry.

However, Rozier struggled to begin this season, and as a starter in 21 games so far, he has a true shooting percentage of 47.4 percent. This year, head coach Erik Spoelstra made the move to bring Rozier off the bench for the first time regularly in six seasons. As a reserve, Rozier has averaged 12.1 ppg on 36 percent shooting from three and boasts a better winning percentage than as a starter.

Recently, after a team shootaround, Rozier spoke with HoopsHype opening up about managing his headspace, tuning out outside noise, and maintaining his confidence during a transitional year with Miami.