The Miami Heat parted ways with Haywood Highsmith on Friday, sending him to the Brooklyn Nets in what was essentially a salary dump. The Heat gave up Highsmith and their 2032 second-round pick for a protected 2026 second-round pick from the Nets.
After the story broke, Golden State Warriors‘ Draymond Green hilariously called out his teammate and former Heat star Jimmy Butler. Green blamed Butler for the trade, and the latter made it clear he had nothing to do with it.
“Don’t put that evil on me, Ricky Bobby! I had nothing to do with it! Let me live my offseason with my blonde weave in.”
It’s not exactly clear what Green was referring to there. He could be blaming Butler for the Heat resorting to cost-cutting measures after he forced his way out of the team earlier this year.
They were around $1.4 million above the tax line before making this deal and are now around $4 million under it. That’s not a move the Heat would have been tempted to make when they were a contender with Butler.
Green could also be referring to Butler’s final act before his departure from the Heat. Back in January, NBA insider Shams Charania had reported that the six-time All-Star walked out of shootaround after being informed that the team wasn’t planning on starting him moving forward, with Highsmith getting his spot.
Butler would be suspended indefinitely by the team for that act. It was the third time they had suspended him in January, and he wouldn’t play for the team again. The Heat sent him to the Warriors for a package centered around Andrew Wiggins.
The Warriors were taking a gamble by acquiring Butler, but it’s safe to say they have easily won this trade. The Heat struggled after the move and finished the season with a 37-45 record. They got into the playoffs via the play-in tournament but got swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.
While the Heat sank, the Warriors soared with Butler. They were 23-7 with him in the lineup and ended up being the seventh seed in the West with a 48-34 record. The Warriors knocked out the Houston Rockets in the first round but then fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the Conference Semifinals.
That Warriors-Timberwolves series could have potentially turned out differently, though, if not for injuries. Stephen Curry suffered a hamstring strain in Game 1, while Butler himself seemed hampered with a pelvis issue. Would a healthy Warriors team have won? Well, we’ll never know for sure.
What we do know is that the Warriors should be pretty good next season. They are the only team that hasn’t made a move this offseason, though, and you’d imagine that will change at some point.
Butler, for one, remains supremely confident about the Warriors’ prospects. Provided the injury bug stays away, they should be able to make noise in the postseason once again in 2026. Can the Warriors win it all? Well, that seems doubtful, but you can’t completely rule out a team with Curry and Butler.
