The Golden State Warriors pulled off a coup at the trade deadline, landing Jimmy Butler in a massive deal. However, before the deal was pulled off, According to Marcus Thompson II and Sam Amick of The Athletic, Draymond Green had some instructions for the Warriors front office in terms of what kind of player they should try and bring in before the trade deadline culminated on February 6th.
"Before Butler arrived, Green had a standing request of the team’s front office that he deemed vital to their renaissance: Go get another 'a–hole,' as one team source described it. Another fiery, two-way talent like him who would say what needed to be said at all times and compete on the knife’s edge on both ends of the floor."
Well, in a way, the Warriors met Green's request and got the best player possible who fits that description. Jimmy Butler is an excellent two-way player who is incredibly fiery and competitive on the court. Pairing him with Draymond Green, who hustles nonstop during a game is a surefire recipe for success.
The trade has done wonders for both sides. Jimmy Butler looks completely reinvigorated after getting his two-year, $121 million contract extension. As for the Golden State Warriors, they have been flying since Jimmy joined the team, going 5-1 with their only loss coming against the Dallas Mavericks before the All-Star break.
Jimmy Butler was reportedly sick to his stomach after the loss, which shows just how competitive he is. Butler is driven to go out and win every possible game he can. No one will be a bigger fan of this mentality than Draymond Green, who is very much cut from the same cloth as Jimmy Butler.
Butler Agrees With Green's Championship Claims
During the coverage of NBA All-Star weekend, Draymond Green claimed that the Golden State Warriors could win a championship with Jimmy Butler. Butler told the Athletic that while he hadn't seen the comments from Green on social media, he does agree with him. He added that everyone on the Warriors understands their role and wants to achieve the main goal - winning a championship.
“I don’t pay attention to social [media], so I didn’t know that [Green] said that. But we do have a chance. And the reason why is not because I’m here. It’s not because of the energy that I may or may not bring. It’s because everybody thinks that we can win. That’s all that matters. If everybody thinks that you can do something, then you can do it."
"I’m not going to say how it was before I was here. I don’t know. I wasn’t here. But when you go around this locker room, and you see the joy, and you see the excitement that everybody gets to hoop and play basketball with one another, we really think, and we really know, that every time we take the floor, we should win — home or away. That’s the difference-maker in this thing.”
The Warriors are flying high after what had been a very turbulent season before Butler's arrival. If they can keep this momentum going, they can, at the very least, take up the sixth seed in the West. The Warriors are currently ninth in the West with a 30-27 record, sitting just one game back from the sixth seed held by the Clippers.
If their upward momentum continues, they could snag the sixth seed and circumvent the play-in tournament, a stage where they have an abysmal 0-3 record. And in the playoffs, they have the experience to take on any other strong team in the Western Conference.
