The Golden State Warriors, prior to the trade deadline, decided to take a risk. They stepped up to the plate and decided that taking a chance on a disgruntled Jimmy Butler, who’s done nothing but frustrate the Miami Heat brass, was worth it. After all, Butler has proven in the past that he can show up for his teams when it matters the most. And with the Warriors still chasing a playoff spot in the loaded Western Conference, Butler appears to be proving them right in his early days in the Bay.
The Warriors moved to 4-1 with Butler on the roster after a dominant effort against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, taking down their division rival with a 132-108 victory. And while it was more of a balanced effort that propelled the Dubs to victory lane, head coach Steve Kerr gave Butler his flowers, explaining how their trade for the 35-year-old star has changed the dynamic of the team for the better.
“He passes. He creates shots with his passing, with his penetration, with his brilliant footwork, fundamental play. Jimmy plays off two feet — jump stop, pivot, never turns it over. He’s got claws for hands. When he gets the ball in traffic, we end up with wide-open looks. He just connects the game for the rest of the guys. And we’re getting much better looks because of Jimmy’s presence,” Kerr said, via 95.7 The Game on X, formerly Twitter.
“He just connects the game for the rest of the guys. And we’re getting much better looks because of Jimmy’s presence.”
Steve Kerr on what Jimmy Butler has brought to the Warriors offense pic.twitter.com/h99m4ZVKV3
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) February 22, 2025
Butler is indeed flourishing as an elite connective piece in the Warriors’ offense; the attention he and Stephen Curry draw has been opening up a ton of good looks for the rest of the team, and as they showed on Friday night, they are a tough team to stop when everything is clicking. Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, and Buddy Hield all crossed the 20-point mark, and it’s thanks to the harmony with which the Dubs are playing, which has been made possible by their trade for Butler.
Warriors acknowledge need for change with Jimmy Butler trade
Over the past few seasons, the Warriors decided to stick to their guns, choosing to develop their young guys and refusing to dangle them in any potential blockbuster trade. But the 2024-25 season has seen the Dubs fall to mediocrity after a strong start to the campaign, and they acknowledged that a major change was necessary to ignite the spark that can change the outlook of their season.
Jimmy Butler’s shenanigans during his final days with the Heat franchise have depressed his trade value to the point where the Warriors found acquiring him to be possible at a reasonable price. And Steve Kerr credits the front office for taking that risk, which seems to be paying off, at least for the meantime.
“Mike Dunleavy knew we needed a shakeup… Jimmy obviously is a really good fit next to Steph and Draymond… we needed the shakeup and you can see the difference now,” Kerr added, via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
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