Third in the East + seventh in the West, in less than half a year, this lose-lose deal turned into a win-win!

As one of the most successful teams in the East and West in recent seasons, the Warriors and Heat both encountered some setbacks last season. The Heat were unable to renew Jimmy Butler's contract, and the unhappiness between the two sides continued to escalate. As the team's record entered the quagmire, the Heat were eager to send Butler away.

At the same time, since the Warriors missed the playoffs in the 23-24 season, they have never found the feeling of winning in the 24-25 season. Their record even dropped to the bottom of the Western Conference. The situation is precarious. The two teams also had to start looking for trades and make targeted reinforcements before the trade deadline as much as possible.

In fact, the Warriors initially hoped to trade back Kevin Durant, the former champion of the championship, but Durant was unwilling to return to Golden State. However, the trade had entered the countdown stage, so they completed the matchup with the Heat at the last moment, using Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Lee as bargaining chips to obtain Jimmy Butler from the Heat.

This deal seemed to be a lose-lose deal at the time, and as both teams were eliminated early in the playoffs, this seemed to be confirmed. But now in less than half a year, the two teams have been ranked third in the Eastern Conference and seventh in the Western Conference respectively. The performance of the two players is even more important. It can be said that a win-win situation has been achieved. Let us take a look at the performance of these two All-Star forwards after entering this season!

Andrew Wiggins

This season's statistics: 17.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals

First of all, let's talk about Wiggins. As one of the heroes of the Warriors' championship in 2022, Wiggins has replaced Klay Thompson and become the second-in-command of the Warriors. However, due to family reasons and personal injuries, Wiggins also experienced certain ups and downs after winning the championship in 2022. In the 23-24 season, he once played a career-worst 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists.

However, considering that Wiggins has never suffered a major injury in his entire NBA career, and has indeed helped the team a lot, and considering that his contract is only 4 years and 109 million US dollars, it is extremely cost-effective, so the Warriors have been reluctant to trade him. In the 24-25 season, Wiggins' condition has recovered to a certain extent, and his per game averages have returned to 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists. But because the team's record did not improve, the Warriors had to bear the pain and sent him to the Heat as a bargaining chip.

After coming to the Heat, because he did not adapt to the team's system and his role changed again, Wiggins' performance was relatively average. In the playoffs, he only averaged 11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Therefore, many fans are not optimistic about Wiggins' prospects this season. But it has to be said that Coach Spoelstra's tactical creation ability is quite good. After acquiring Norman Powell, he transformed Wiggins' role into the position he had during the Warriors. This is undoubtedly Wiggins' comfort zone.

Wiggins has recovered again this season, averaging 17.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game. His shooting and three-point shooting percentages have reached a respectable 52.7% and 40% respectively. In the recent victory over the Cavaliers, he also performed a wonderful alley-oop, announcing his complete recovery. Considering that Wiggins is only 30 years old and is in very good shape this season, he may still be a top championship puzzle piece for any team in the future.

Jimmy Butler

This season's statistics: 18.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals

Let's talk about Butler. As one of the most underestimated players in the NBA today, although he failed to lead the team to win the championship with the Heat, he helped the team reach the finals twice, including a black eight miracle, which is enough to prove Butler's gold content.

It's just that last season, when he was still with the Heat, he suffered from injuries and had many conflicts with the team, so he could only average 17 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, and his efficiency dropped significantly. Not only that, he only played 25 games, so in the eyes of the outside world, sending Butler away this time is indeed a wise choice for the Heat. After all, he was already 35 years old at the time. No matter how good his condition was, it would be difficult to repeat the miracle of leading the Heat to the Finals. Moreover, his asking price for a contract extension was too high.

After joining the Warriors, Butler was constantly criticized by the media and fans because of his two-year, $110 million contract. But with his help, the Warriors quickly got out of the quagmire. His ability to hold the ball and create damage was exactly what the Warriors were in short supply. His arrival greatly reduced the pressure on Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. In the end, he successfully reached the playoffs and performed a black seven miracle on the young Rockets.

This season, the 36-year-old Butler remains efficient, averaging 18.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. His shooting and three-point shooting percentages are as high as 50.4% and 40.9% respectively, and his plus-minus value is +4.9. Now it seems that as long as Butler is not disturbed by injuries, with his help, this Warriors team may even have a chance to win the championship again.