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With Jimmy Butler officially traded from the Miami Heat, Kevin Love released another one of his now-iconic social media posts. Love reacted to his former teammate moving on to the Golden State Warriors with a clip of the renowned Stephen King film, “The Shawshank Redemption.”
Love reacted to the Butler trade with his latest post on Instagram. The 36-year-old posted a clip from the film showing the main character, Andy Dufresne, celebrating in the rain after breaking out of prison.
“Jimmy Butler and the Shawshank Redemption,” Love captioned his post.
Kevin Love couldn’t wait to get his IG Jimmy troll video out after the trade
(Via IG Kevinlove) pic.twitter.com/E967ZiOniY
— Heat Culture (@HeatCulture13) February 6, 2025
Frank Darabont's adaptation of King's The Shawshank Redemption was a unanimously praised 1994 film. In it, Tim Robbins plays Dufresne, a wrongly convicted felon who escapes a corrupt prison. His escape plan takes several years to execute, a scenario that Love related to Butler's lengthy saga.
Butler was traded to Golden State in a multi-team deal that also sent Andrew Wiggins to Miami. The 35-year-old was finally granted his release request after months of drama plagued the Heat's 2024-2025 campaign. The turmoil stemmed from the Heat's refusal to give him a supermax extension in the preceding offseason.
As the Heat and Butler went back and forth for weeks, involving a series of suspensions, Love has continuously lightened the mood with frequent social media posts. The veteran has accepted a Udonis Haslem-like role late in his career, serving as an on-court captain and mentor to the team.
Heat-Warriors Jimmy Butler trade details
In addition to Wiggins, the Warriors sent Kyle Anderson to Miami in the deal. Veteran forward P.J. Tucker, who played for the Heat in 2021-2022, will also return to South Beach from the Utah Jazz. Miami also sent guard Josh Richardson to the Detroit Pistons. Tucker has yet to play in 2024-2025 as he sought for the entire first half of the year.
Furthermore, Golden State sent Dennis Schroder — whom they recently acquired from the Brooklyn Nets — to the Jazz and Lindy Waters III to the Pistons. Neither Schroder nor Waters saw much court time for the Warriors in 2024-2025.
Butler subsequently signed a two-year, $121 million extension with the Warriors immediately following the trade. One of his trade requests was to land with a team with whom he could sign a max extension. Once he makes his Golden State debut, Butler will play for his fifth team, which he hopes will be his last.
It is unclear when Wiggins will make his Heat debut, but Butler's first game with the Warriors will likely come first. While serving his third suspension with Miami, Butler was seen in San Diego watching San Diego State's Feb. 1 home game against Wyoming.
