The Golden State Warriors have found a new lease of life for their core after trading for Jimmy Butler and going all-in on the current era.
There will be bumps along the road, as evidenced by their recent loss to the Dallas Mavericks after two consecutive wins with Jimmy Butler, but the ambition is there.
Butler has given the Warriors something they’ve lacked all this time and the veterans on the team, in particular, are re-energized by his presence.
Amidst the euphoria of the Warriors trying to go all-in, Draymond Green has credited one man for ensuring Butler came to the Warriors and avoided an “awful” prospect.
Butler’s trade to the Golden State Warriors was far from a given, especially after Andrew Wiggins had found form and Butler had received a disruptor’s reputation.
Furthermore, the contract he was so after looked like it would be offered only by the Phoenix Suns, hence the strong links.
However, Bradley Beal’s no-trade clause ended things and the Warriors swooped in to do right by their core of Steph Curry and Green and try and extend their window of contention.
Speaking on his YouTube channel on an episode of The Draymond Green Show/ Baron Davis, the Warriors forward said Butler has ‘raised the bar’ already at the team, thanking Mike Dunleavy Jr for ensuring an “awful” situation didn’t come to fruition.
He said: “Shoutout to Mike Dunleavy. I’m so happy Jimmy [Butler] didn’t end up in Phoenix. That would’ve been awful.
“What Jimmy has brought here, you talk about bullies. He’s got that sense that we can win. The bar has been raised.
“I told the guys after the Lakers game that this is about to look different with Jimmy coming. We’re gonna follow these two guys [Steph Curry and Butler].
This is the honeymoon period for Butler’s time at the Warriors but right away, he seems to be answering two big red flags about this trade.
Firstly, his reputation of being a dressing room disruptor seems to have gone by the wayside now that he’s got his contract and left Miami.
Secondly, he seems to have answered the spacing concerns by attacking the rim endlessly and drawing fouls for FTs, something that the Warriors just didn’t do enough of.
As it stands, his game complements Curry’s perfectly and he’s ensured Green returns to a “locked-in” state because he sees there’s genuinely something to fight for.
It might go haywire again but right now, despite the recent hiccup, the Butler trade is working out perfectly for Mike Dunleavy Jr.
