Mike Dunlevy Jr. shares behind-the-scenes details about Jimmy Butler’s trade to the Golden State Warriors.
The blockbuster Jimmy Butler trade has had an instant impact on the Golden State Warriors, as evident by their record.
Since inserting Butler into the starting lineup, the Dubs have played four games and attained a 3-1 record during the stint.
With the NBA All-Star break commencing, head coach Steve Kerr will have plenty of time to come up with better tactics to utilize Butler’s talents to the fullest extent.
Despite staying in the headlines for multiple weeks, Butler to the Warriors trade was unarguably overshadowed by the unexpected Luka Doncic trade.
Yes, the one where Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison offered Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for a trade package around Anthony Davis.
With that said, Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. recently drew parallels between the two moves via 95.7 The Game’s Steiny & Guru.
“It’s mostly me and Pat [Riley]. Those high-level things, you can’t get too many people involved. I’m obviously keeping Joe [Lacob & Kirk [Lacob] in the loop, but those types of deals are pretty small,” Dunleavy Jr. stated.
He added: “Like the Luka [Doncic] deal with Dallas, you saw what that was. Only a few people know and that’s generally how these things go when you get talking about high-end players and big moves.”
Keeping the move under wraps is important to avoid leaks surfacing around social media. Dunleavy Jr. and Pat Riley certainly fulfilled that task.
Comparing Butler’s move to the Warriors to the Doncic trade is still unfair. After all, every NBA team in the league was aware of Butler’s availability, which helped the Heat in getting the best deal possible for their 35-year-old superstar.
On the other hand, Harrison directly offered Doncic to the Lakers. In fact, the move was done in so much secrecy that it took NBA executives by surprise when it was made official.
Many, including Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, labeled it a ‘gift.’ No one has made such comments about Butler’s trade to the Warriors.
