The Golden State Warriors–Jimmy Butler partnership is off to a rock-solid start, winning five of their first six games together.
But such a union was unthinkable to come to fruition three days before the Feb. 6 trade deadline arrived. The Warriors’ top choice was a reunion with Kevin Durant. Butler’s reported preferred destination was the Phoenix Suns.
Butler did not deny this when The Athletic asked him about it.
On Feb. 3, amid all the chaos and acrimony that came with his messy exit from Miami, an ESPN report indicated Butler wasn’t interested in signing a contract extension with the Warriors if they traded for him. It was, at first glance, the kind of public messaging from a player typically meant to scare off an unwelcome suitor.
Yet three weeks later, as Butler sat so content at his locker following Friday night’s win at Sacramento, he sidestepped a question about that subplot in the most self-assured of ways.
“Honestly — in the most humble way possible — I’m a good fit everywhere,” said Butler, who is averaging 20.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.5 steals so far with Golden State. “I am because I’m going to play basketball the right way. I’m going to play my game. A lot of people here shoot a ton of 3s. You don’t see me out there shooting a ton of 3s.
“I’m going to do what I do because what I do helps teams win. I’m gonna guard, gonna get some steals, get to the free-throw line, and I’m gonna hit the open guy 10 out of 10 times. And I think that’s why it works here. The only thing (about his new situation) is wanting to be wanted. I’m wanted here. I’m good with that. And this is where I want to be. Real s—.”
Warriors Top Exec Denies Jimmy Butler Rumors
Kirk Lacob, the Warriors’ executive vice president of basketball operations, denied the Warriors were not focused on Butler as The Athletic initially reported because of his previous exorbitant trade cost and concerns about his locker room fit.
“Well, the great news is about what’s going on in the media is that it’s not always right,” Lacob said on 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny and Guru” on Feb. 12. ” No offense to (the media), but there’s stuff out there all the time that’s not right, we let it be. Jimmy is someone we’ve been focused on for a long time. We’re really excited about him. He’s an absolute killer.”
Butler has injected confidence into the Warriors, whose playoff hopes were slowly fading away before the trade. His addition, which addressed their need for interior presence to complement Stephen Curry‘s outside shooting, has pushed the Warriors back into the play-in group in the West.
At 30-27, the Warriors are just 1.5 games back of the sixth-seed Los Angeles Clippers (31-25).
Jimmy Butler’s Pre-Draft Interview
Kirk, son of Warriors owner Joe Lacob, revealed that Butler was already on his radar as early as 2011.
“I really loved Butler since his pre-draft interview back in the day,” the younger Lacob continued. “We interviewed him and he’s one of the best pre-draft interviews I’ve ever been a part of. [I] walked away from that and I was like, ‘I don’t know how good this guy gonna be, but he’s gonna definitely make it and I’m gonna root for him.’”
The Warriors drafted Klay Thompson with the 11th overall selection in 2011 while Butler went to the Chicago Bulls at No. 30, the last pick of the first round.
“To see where his career has gone, he’s such a winner and he fits our culture so well and our style of play,” Kirk Lacob said of Butler. “So we are extremely excited to have him.”
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