While most NBA fans learned that Jimmy Butler was being traded to the Golden State Warriors from ESPN’s Shams Charania, Butler’s now-former teammates with the Miami Heat learned of the trade through another source — a fan sitting courtside.
News of the trade broke on Wednesday as the Heat were taking on the Philadelphia 76ers. A fan (presumably a Heat fan) sitting behind Miami’s bench at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center shared the details of the trade with some Heat players.
“We got Kyle Anderson, Dennis Schröder and Andrew Wiggins. We robbed them,” the fan said. Responding to a question from Kevin Love, the fan added that the Heat a protected first-round pick, though he didn’t know the year.
A fan sitting behind the Miami Heat bench broke the Jimmy Butler trade news to the team. pic.twitter.com/MoH6VnTtqK
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 6, 2025
In the ensuing minutes, some of those details became clear while others were incorrect.
Schröder is not going to Miami but to the Utah Jazz, coincidentally, Golden State’s opponent on Wednesday. Charania also reported that Anderson is going to the Toronto Raptors but later clarified that “Miami is working through a resolution with Kyle Anderson,” adding that “he could stay or be moved.”
As for the pick, Chris Haynes reported that “Golden State sending Miami a 2025 Top 10 protected first. Next year it’s Top 10 protected and then unprotected following year.”
But we can forgive the fan for not knowing those full details in the moment.
