The Golden State Warriors are quickly coming to the realization that going all-in in Jimmy Butler may have been a massive mistake.
In the early stages of pulling off the trade for Jimmy Butler, all was right with the Golden State Warriors. In his first 25 games (all during the regular season) with the Warriors, the team was 21-4. Golden State traded for Jimmy to help this team click during the second half of the season, and that's exactly what was happening for the Warriors. But much of that sentiment has changed since the start of the NBA Playoffs.
The Warriors outlasted the Houston Rockets, in which Jimmy looked pretty good for most of the series. Against the Minnesota Timberwolves, that simply hasn't been the case. Down 3-1, in large part because of an untimely injury to Stephen Curry, the Warriors find themselves on the verge of elimination.
With how things have transpired over the last few playoff games, the argument can also be made that the Warriors may have some regrets about the Jimmy trade and extension. With Curry out due to the injury, Jimmy has not been magical, he's not been special, and he's not been Playoff Jimmy.
Why the move for Jimmy Butler was a mistake
Here's the bottom line for the Warriors: if the star player you're paying $50 million for can't win you a game in the NBA Playoffs without your other star player, there's a problem. Considering Jimmy is under contract for two more seasons, for more than $50 million per season, it's hard not to consider that extension as a mistake in retrospect.
Jimmy was acquired at the NBA Trade Deadline to be the final piece of a championship puzzle. At the very least, he was expected to push them into championship contention. While the argument could be made that Jimmy did accomplish that, I'd argue that when Curry and the Warriors needed him the most, he failed.
In two of three games without Curry in the lineup, Jimmy scored less than 20 points and was a plus-minus negative when he was on the floor. The Warriors have lost three straight games since the injury to Curry.
It's tough to blame the Warriors for attempting to go all-in with the move for Jimmy at the trade deadline. However, it's pretty clear that it ended up being a mistake. Maybe we're having a different conversation if Curry never gets injured, but he did. And Jimmy has failed to step up.
