The Jimmy Butler trade is paying off big time for the Golden State Warriors after the 35-year-old star helped them advance past the first round with a 103-89 Game 7 win over the No. 2 Houston Rockets on Sunday.
Butler tallied 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as his experience galvanized the Warriors in the series-clinching win.
His steady performance since his arrival in February, which revived the once-fading Warriors’ title hopes, washed away all the concerns that team owner Joe Lacob had before signing off on the risky deal.
“Yeah, there were (concerns about Butler),” Lacob told The Athletic after the Warriors’ Game 7 win in Houston. “But you do your analysis, you make your choices, and, yeah, it was a little bit of a risk. But we’ve got to take risks in this life. And he’s worth every freaking penny. That’s all I can say. He’s fantastic.”
Warriors’ Pre-Trade Concerns
In the weeks leading to the Feb. 6 trade deadline, multiple reports surfaced about the Warriors’ reluctance to trade for Butler because of locker room fit concerns.
“My league sources say that Stephen Curry, specifically, has concerns about Jimmy Butler’s fit in the locker room,” Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor said via his ‘The Kevin O’Connor Show” podcast in January. “And Steve Kerr shares those feelings. So, Golden State’s indecision about trading for Butler seems to be largely tied to Steph and Kerr’s worries about a personality fit.”
The Athletic’s Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II also reported about the Warriors concerns on Butler and viewing Zach LaVine, who eventually ended up in Sacramento and lost in the Play-in Tournament, as a “safer option.”
At the time, Butler was butting heads with Miami Heat president Pat Riley, who refused to offer him an extension. His messy exit in Miami and his past history in Minnesota gave Lacob and the Warriors a legitimate cause of concern.
But Lacob relented when Warriors general manager insisted that Butler was worth the risk, The Athletic reported.
“Sometimes you get them right,” Lacob told The Athletic with a laugh. “That’s all I can say.”
Jimmy Butler Felt ‘Wanted’ in Golden State
Lacob gave Butler the $112 million, two-year max extension which the Heat were reluctant to give. And then, the Warriors strong family culture under Kerr and cultivated by longtime stars Curry and Draymond Green made Butler feel welcomed and accepted for who he is.
“It’s always good to be wanted and appreciated for your skill set and your talent,” Butler told reporters after the Warriors’ Game 7 win. “Here they welcomed me with open arms and let me be the player that I am and it fit into what they do so incredibly well.”
Butler repeatedly said he found his “joy” back in Golden State and his arrival has rejuvenated Curry and Green, who craved to play “meaningful games” on the twilight of their careers.
