With the 2025 trade deadline looming, the Warriors needed a serious lift. At 25–25 ahead of their game on Feb. 6, Golden State had largely squandered its red-hot 12–3 start to the season, falling all the way back to .500. Looking to take some of the pressure off of star guard Stephen Curry, the Warriors went all-in, acquiring wing Jimmy Butler from the Heat in a multi-team deal that saw Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and a protected first-round pick head back to Miami.
The deal gave Golden State an immediate lift, as they finished the regular season going 23–8 and finishing as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. The Warriors would advance out of the play-in round and knocked out the young No. 2-seeded Rockets before falling to the Timberwolves in the conference semifinals.
