The Golden State Warriors have made their fair share of trades that changed the course of franchise history in recent years, but the Jimmy Butler one might be the most interesting.
The Warriors acquired Butler from the Miami Heat on Wednesday in a complicated deal that sent Andrew Wiggins to the Heat and Dennis Schroder to the Utah Jazz, among other moving parts. Butler, who had been itching for a trade out of Miami for over two months, finally got his wish and will now join his fifth team of his NBA career.
The Warriors’ new veteran star has left behind a trail of angsty and contentious stints with his former franchises, from clashing with then-Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg to feuding with then-Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns. Following rumblings over his long-term future with the Heat last year, a disgruntled Butler requested a trade from Miami, who slapped him with a series of suspensions on his way out. Who’s to say the drama won’t follow Butler to Golden State?
The Warriors’ very own drama-mongerer, Draymond Green, says so.
Amid concerns over how Butler would fit with the Warriors this season, Green shared his simple and blunt reaction to the blockbuster trade.
“He win? I win? That’s the fit. Winners win,” Green said, via The Athletic. “He’s a winner. Perennial All-Star. Tough as nails. Just f—ing get the job done however it needs to be done.”
Green himself was rumored to be a potential trade piece for the Warriors as the franchise explored a last-minute Kevin Durant reunion (the Phoenix Suns star did not want to come back).
Yet, Green told The Athletic he wasn’t worried about getting dealt before Thursday’s deadline and never asked the Warriors’ front office for any kind of reassurances.
“Ninety-five percent of the things you worry about never come true. If (I did get traded), then it just is what it is,” said Green.
The Warriors appear to have their core for the immediate future in Green, Butler and Steph Curry, though it remains to be seen how well the trio will work together on the court—and if there will be any flare-ups off the court.
For a Warriors team that’s 25-25 this season looking back at a fading dynasty and desperately trying to make the most out of Curry’s twilight years, one could argue they just don’t have that much to lose.
