Another NBA star is on the move, and once again, the Utah Jazz got draft capital out of the chaos.
The Golden State Warriors landed disgruntled Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler in a deal on Wednesday, sending out Andrew Wiggins as part of the package, according to reports.
The Jazz helped facilitate the deal, trading the contract of newly-acquired P.J. Tucker to the Heat while taking on Dennis Schröder’s expiring contract. Utah will receive a 2031 second-round pick from the Heat in the multi-team deal.
In all, it’s a four-team trade. Miami receives Tucker from the Jazz, and Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, and a top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick from the Warriors. Lindy Waters III and Josh Richardson are being sent to Detroit. The Warriors get Butler, while the Jazz get Schroder and the pick.
Tucker, who wasn’t going to play for the Jazz, had $11.5 million on his contract this season, while Schroder makes $13 million. For the difference in salaries, the Jazz acquired the second-round pick.
The 2031 second-rounder will be the more favorable of the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat’s selections in that year’s draft. The Heat received the rights to swap those picks when sending backup center Thomas Bryant to the Pacers in December.
As of Wednesday night, it was not clear whether Schröder will suit up for Utah.
The trade happened roughly 45 minutes before the Jazz’s matchup against the Warriors at the Delta Center on Wednesday night. As the team’s locker room was open to media, Warriors staffers closed the room and head coach Steve Kerr told their players about the deal in the arena’s visiting locker room.
Butler, meanwhile, had been suspended three times this season by the Heat. Unhappy with the roster the team’s front office had put around him and the team’s unwillingness to give him a long-term extension, he asked for a trade to another team. The 35-year-old immediately agreed to a two-year, $121 million extension with the Warriors after the trade was completed.
The NBA’s trade deadline is Thursday, at 1 p.m. MT.
