Jimmy Butler trade: TNT Analyst reveals real reason behind delay of Warriors' official announcement

Jimmy Butler found himself being one of many NBA Players traded ahead of the NBA trade deadline on February 6th, 2025. Butler is being traded from the Miami Heat to the Golden State Warriors in a 5-team deal that also included the Utah Jazz, the Detroit Pistons, and the Toronto Raptors.

ESPN analyst Shams Charania announced the trade on the night of Feb. 5, 2025. However, people noticed that the Warriors did not post anything officially welcoming Butler to the team until Feb. 6 at 8:16 PM EST.

So what exactly made the Warriors wait nearly a full 24 hours to announce the acquisition of their new biggest star to their fans? TNT analyst Jared Greenberg provided some insight into the matter.

"A lot of moving parts here for the Golden State Warriors and in particluar the newest member of the Warriors, Jimmy Butler," he said. "With all the deals that went today, there is a backlog of teams that are trying to get through to the league office to make their deals official.

"So Butler to the Warriors, with Miami along with all the other teams in this complicated deal that are involved have not been able to make it through yet to make it official."

Later on Thursday night, as the NBA Trade deadline, Jimmy Butler and the Golden State Warriors held an introductory press conference where he shared that he was looking forward to working alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.

Jimmy Butler expected to make his Warriors debut on Saturday

Jimmy Butler has joined his fifth NBA team, the Golden State Warriors, with his eyes set on winning a championship. The Warriors have been the winningest team in the last ten years, bringing home four of the ten possible championships during that time frame. Butler will try to help the Warriors add their fifth championship this season.

Butler's Warriors journey is expected to begin on Saturday, Feb. 8, when the Warriors travel to Chicago, the team that originally drafted Butler. The game is scheduled for 8 PM EST as Butler begins a new chapter in his career.

Butler and the Warriors will look to get started with a win while the Bulls will look to spoil Butler's return and debut with his newest team. Either way, the game will be a must-see TV to see how Jimmy Butler meshes with his new team.