NBA Fans List Warriors Among Jimmy Butler Landing Spots amid Rumored Trade Request
Andrew PetersJanuary 3, 2025
Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images
Jimmy Butler wants out of Miami.
ESPN’s Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst, the star forward has “indicated to the Miami Heat” that he wants to be traded ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline and “is open to playing anywhere other than Miami.”
Butler, who led the Heat to a pair of NBA Finals appearances, seems set on joining another team this season, and there will likely be a number of teams will likely be putting in offers. After the news broke, NBA fans speculated where Butler will land in a trade, with the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets among the most popular projected landing spots.
Andrew Yang🧢⬆️🇺🇸 @AndrewYangJimmy Butler to the Warriors makes a ton of sense to me.
Jefe Hammers @JefeHammersIf the Golden State Warriors or the San Antonio Spurs don’t try to make a move for Jimmy Butler, I’m not quite sure why those GM’s deserve to have a job
Tucker @SportingLogicalJimmy Butler trade teams in order of how likely they are to trade for him:
Tier 1 – Warriors, Nuggets
Tier 2 – Kings, Rockets
Tier 3 – (Basically impossible but will still be mentioned by major media) Lakers, Suns, Mavs
Tier 4 – Everyone else
Los @Ufeelme510Rockets, Warriors, Magic, Grizzlies, Thunder & Mavericks should all be tryna tap in for Jimmy Butler.
D.A. @d_alvar3zJimmy Butler to the Warriors just makes sense.
Nick Flamson @nickflamsonJimmy butler to the warriors or thunder ✅
zephyr ☘️ (25-9) (Reg. Season) @Zephyr_2110Jimmy Butler heading to either Lakers, OKC or GS
Rich 🤍👑 @Rm_rlxJimmy Butler to OKC 👀
NotACritic @IAmNotACriticI hope ya’ll know Jimmy Butler gonna get traded to the Nuggets
Jess @akeysfanjWarriors need to trade for Jimmy Butler. They can’t waste Steph last push.
Butler is having his worst season since 2013-14 when he put up just 13.1 points per game in his third year in the league. The veteran is averaging 18 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game as Miami has gone 17-15.
The six-time All-Star could get back to his game with a change of scenery, though. He said after the Heat’s loss to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday that he wants to “get my joy back from playing basketball.”
“What do I want to see happen? I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball, wherever that may be,” Butler said. “We’ll find out here pretty soon, but gotta get my joy back.
“I’m happy here, you know, off the court. But I want to be back to somewhat dominant. I want to hoop. I want to help this team win, but right now, I’m not enjoying it.”
Wes Goldberg @wcgoldbergJimmy Butler with an extremely candid media session.
Said he wants his joy back on the court.
Asked if he can find that joy here, he replied “Probably not.” pic.twitter.com/AwSLbstr4W
Perhaps he’ll find his joy on the court later this season if his wish to be traded is granted.
Though Butler might not be the same player that carried the Heat to the Finals in the past, he’d still be a major asset to teams on the brink of competing for a title. The Warriors, Rockets and Nuggets all would make sense, but ultimately it will come down to who can put in the best offer to Miami.
