Butler to the Bay
The Warriors finally make that big move and bring the mercurial Miami star to Golden State.
So… I have to write about it, right? I made my internet writing bones covering the Golden State Warriors, so when they make a big move like this I have to share my thoughts, right?
With the NBA Trade Deadline approaching, the Warriors did what so many of their fans wanted and finally made a move.
Here are the parts of the trade, which ended up involving four different teams.
Golden State Warriors get:
F Jimmy Butler
Miami Heat get:
F Kyle Anderson
F P.J. Tucker
F Andrew Wiggins
GSW Protected first-round pick
Detroit Pistons get:
G Lindy Waters III
G Josh Richardson
Utah Jazz get:
G Dennis Schroder
Jimmy Butler then signed a two-year $121 million dollar extension (which lines up with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green’s contracts in terms of expiration years).
The Warriors desperately needed not just a secondary scorer but one who could create their own offense to take the pressure off of Curry. For all of the great things Andrew Wiggins did and can do (and I was one of his biggest supporters/thought the move to trade for him was great), that’s just not who he is. Wiggins was able to thrive when playing within a system, but given the way things have gone for the Warriors (and the way teams can defend Curry and thus disrupt that system) he wasn’t able to do everything he needed.
I was hoping for a Kevin Durant return to the Warriors (which, it sounds like, was never going to happen), yes because I’m probably the biggest Kevin Durant fan out there. But it wasn’t just because it would be fun for me. What Durant is so great at—getting his own shot and creating his own offense—is exactly what the Warriors needed. But for a myriad of reasons, that just wasn’t going to happen. Butler was probably the player who could so something similar, thus I think it’s a move that the team should have made and makes them better (perhaps not title contenders right now, but certainly better and more well-rounded).
While Butler isn’t a long-distance threat the way Wiggins was, he’s a little bit stronger as an individual shot creator. You also look at Butler’s ability to get to the free-throw line and draw shooting fouls, which is just a bit better than what Wiggins can do, and see that as a place where he can help the team. They haven’t really had a player like that since… well, since Durant. Wiggins was great as the second offensive threat next to Curry when you still had the threat of Klay Thompson (like in the 2022 championship run). Butler is also a strong defensive presence, so you’re not giving up much while adding more of his offense (which is what the team really needs) and you’ll need someone who can contribute defensively as you gave up Dennis Schroder to make this happen.
The intangibles are what make the Butler trade interesting in both a positive and negative light. This season has been something of a soap opera for Butler, and this hasn’t been the first time he’s been a mercurial figure. What adding that kind of personality/temperment to a locker room (and taking out someone who seems as quiet and demure as Wiggins) remains to be seen. But, it must also be noted, Butler is a winner. He dragged two Miami Heat teams to the NBA Finals in 2020 and 2023. He’s a winner, a clutch player, “Playoff Jimmy.” Putting him with Curry and Green, championship level players, gives the team a real gravitas and stability that should serve them well.
It’s also worth noting that the Warriors did not have to give up any of their young players (Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski) to get the move, nor did they have to give up a lot in the way of draft picks (they’ll probably lose their pick this season because it will fall out of the protection and be transferred to Miami). While there were certainly ways for the Warriors to improve, I didn’t want GM Mike Dunleavy and co. to give up all their young players and assets in the name of acquiring a player who might only make them marginally better. Bringing in Butler, who was on the short list of players I thought was worth making a move for, while hanging onto those younger players and not giving up a ton of draft picks feels like a big win for the franchise.
While bringing Butler on board will help this year and I’m hoping to see the Warriors climb not only the play-in standings but maybe making their way into the playoffs as the six-seed, I could see this move really paying dividends next season. Perhaps it will be akin to the Mavericks trading for Kyrie Irving in 2022-23 and then going on their run to the NBA Finals in 2023-24? What I’m saying is that I don’t think we can just this move just in terms of what happens this season.
Also, do I need to buy some Big Face Coffee?
