The Golden State Warriors won’t be forming a fourth superteam with Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler this winter.
Warriors: Heat make Jimmy Butler untouchable via trade
According to USA Today’s Jordan Mendoza, Heat president Pat Riley sharply shot down any and all trade rumors surrounding Butler in a statement made on X on Thursday afternoon:
“We usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches. Therefore, we will make it clear – We are not trading Jimmy Butler,” the statement read.
Butler is one of the elite two-way players in the NBA. The six-time All-Star has averaged no less than 20 points, five rebounds, five assists, and 1.3 steals per game in any of his previous four seasons in Miami prior to the current campaign. He is also a remarkable rebounder, sound distributor, and one of the most clutch players in the league, currently putting up 18.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 4.9 APG this season.
Warriors must find another star to help stop drought
The Marquette product would have been an ideal fit for the struggling Warriors, who have lost 11 of their last 14 games. Butler would have effectively kept Golden State’s championship window in the Stephen Curry and Draymond Green era wide open, also alongside Warriors former All-Star Andrew Wiggins as a formidable big four.
Nevertheless, Riley, known for being one of the most accomplished and boldest executives in the league, issued a word that will likely be bond until the Feb. 6 trade deadline arrives, unless Butler floors the gas and forces his way out of South Beach. The Warriors will have to look elsewhere for that additional star to heighten their chances of hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy come June.
