Jimmy Butler has been the alpha in Miami before he and the Heat have a falling out.
As he gets a fresh start with the Golden State Warriors, who traded for him and are giving him a two-year, $112 million extension, he is coming in with the acknowledgment that this is and will always be Stephen Curry‘s team.
“We good,” Butler told reporters during his introductory press conference when asked about his basketball fit with Curry. “Pass the ball to Steph. And get out of the way. Easy.”
“As far as playing with Steph, I mean everybody knows he’s the greatest shooter in the world, greatest shooter in history. That makes my job a lot easier. I probably got a lot more space out there, but more than anything I think it’s always going to be a team effort. We all got a lot more space out there so we’ll see how it goes.”
Mercurial Duo
But on top of adjusting his play on the offensive end, it will also be the first time in his career that his voice will not be the loudest in the locker room. He will also have to mesh with Draymond Green, who like him has a strong personality.
Green downplayed the fit concerns surrounding Butler’s addition. After all, Green didn’t have problems with past teammates DeMarcus Cousins and Chris Paul, who have strong personalities similar to those of Butler.
“He win? I win? That’s the fit. Winners win,” Green said, per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. “He’s a winner. Perennial All-Star. Tough as nails. Just [expletive] get the job done however it needs to be done.”
Butler said he always had respect for Curry and Green from the distance. Now, he’s going to join them with an open mind, ready to soak in the experience and learn from them in what could be his last attempt at finally winning it all.
“That they always play winning basketball and they’ll do whatever it takes to win,” Butler said of Curry and Green. “I think that’s what I respect most about those guys and they’ve won at so many different levels. Obviously at the highest level and done it multiple times. So not only can I bring some things to this team, I think that they can teach me a whole lot.”
Steph Curry Respects Jimmy Butler’s Body of Work
Curry shares a mutual respect for Butler.
“You look at his body of work — now those two finals appearances,” Curry told reporters after the Warriors lost 120-112 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, Feb. 6. “He seems like when the stakes get higher, he rises to the occasion. He’s a dog, he’s a winner and just the idea that he has a lot to prove in the new situation, he’s excited to help us and we’re excited to help him.”
Butler got what he wanted — security tenure — which he did not get from the Heat that led to the falling out. The Warriors, desperate after they fell to 25-26 following a 12-3 start, are taking a chance on him to turn their fortunes around.
“That’s why I’m here and I will do my best to do what everybody wants and that’s to win a championship,” Butler said. “I mean it.”
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