The Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat came together on a blockbuster trade before the NBA trade deadline last year. Of course, that was the deal that sent Jimmy Butler to the Warriors to team up with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
After that trade, Golden State turned things around. The team immediately started winning and worked its way into the playoffs, where they ultimately upset the No. 2-seeded Houston Rockets in the first round before being eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Moving on from Butler was a tough decision for the Heat. He was the face of their franchise when the move was made.
Recently, Miami pulled off a trade with the Brooklyn Nets to ship Haywood Highsmith out of town. In addition, the Heat traded a 2032 second-round pick to the Nets in exchange for a protected 2026 second-round pick.
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Obviously, that was not much of a return for Highsmith.
When the Butler trade happened, Miami was expected to get more playing time opened up for Highsmith. Trading him for such a low price did not go unnoticed by Green.
Green took to social media to take a major shot at the Heat and their fans.
“Y’all (internet experts) wanted Jimmy to come off the bench behind dude, and 5 months later the Heat traded him for a bag of chips,” Green wrote. “That’s wild.”
He has a point. Trading Butler was a decision that Miami had to make, but the idea that he could be so easily replaced was a clearly incorrect thought.
Butler went on to play a huge role for the Warriors in the second half of the season. He played in 30 games, averaging 17.9 points per game to go along with 5.9 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.7 steals, while shooting 50.4 percent from the floor and 30.8 percent from three-point range.
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Heading into the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season, Butler will be a huge part of Golden State’s goal of winning another championship with Curry. As for the Heat, they are looking to take a big step from the disappointing year they had in 2024.
There are few players in sports with a more keen eye for shots like this one than Green. His opinion is valid and the idea that Highsmith would be a key player for Miami after trading Butler did not pan out at all.
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