The trade that sent Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat to the Golden State Warriors earlier this year may not have shocked the league in the way that the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis deal did. But as far as on-court results go, even that blockbuster wasn’t as impactful as the one that made Butler a Warrior.
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Golden State rolled off a 23-8 record after adding Butler, catapulting itself from tied for 10th in the West into the seventh seed. They won the play-in, then took out the second-seeded Houston Rockets in the first round before injuries caught up with them. They were eventually taken out by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Butler was a great fit alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. And with an entire offseason to improve their chemistry even more, optimism is high that the Warriors can do even more damage if they can stay healthy.
Butler sat down with Kerith Burke of NBC Sports Bay Area and spoke about what it would mean to win a ring. He has been close to doing it twice before, carrying the Heat to the Finals in 2020 and 2023. Interestingly, though, he made it less about him and more about how meaningful it would be to help Steph and Draymond get another one.
“It would mean the world to me. But it would mean the world to me if they [Steph and Green] won. They’ve already solidified themselves in the Basketball Hall of Fame and in the league, we get that, but to separate themselves from other individuals — you get five, you’re there,” said Butler.
“No doubting, can’t question it, you can’t say who was on your team, you’ve done it with multiple different types of players and rosters. You get five, nobody’s questioning anything about anybody that got five,” he added.
Butler’s attitude is a complete 180 from where it was around this time last year. And his fight with the Heat and team president Pat Riley dragged on month after excruciating month. He had to make things work on the fly with the Warriors.
But Butler was so happy to have a new lease on life that the trade turned out to be a great one, both for him personally and for the team. He signed a two-year, $111 million extension to keep him with the Warriors, and he’s obviously committed to making it work.
Playing on the same team as Curry tends to do that to people. And while people are right to talk about the defending champions, the OKC Thunder, and the revamped Denver Nuggets as serious contenders, they should also be talking about the Warriors, too.
Golden State has a winning collection of players in Steph, Draymond, and Jimmy. And they only added to that by signing Al Horford away from the Celtics.
This is a high-IQ team that prioritizes winning above all else. If they can stay healthy, the rest of the league better watch out.
