No longer the bridesmaids, patience, in the end, paid off for the Warriors ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
The Warriors failed to land Lauri Markkanen and Paul George over the offseason. They backed out of Zach LaVine trade talks recently to pursue even bigger stars, specifically Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler. Durant preferred to stay in the desert rather than have a Warriors reunion.
Hours later, the Warriors acquired Butler from the Miami Heat on Wednesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported, citing sources, in a multi-team trade that also sent Andrew Wiggins from Golden State to South Beach. The real kicker came 11 minutes after Charania’s initial trade news.
Butler and the Warriors agreed to a two-year contract extension through the 2026-27 NBA season, per Charania, which lines up directly with Steph Curry and Draymond Green. Butler declined his 2025-26 player option to agree to the extension. Charania reported Butler's Warriors deal is worth $121 million, while the Athletic’s Anthony Slater and Sam Amick reported the extension is for $112 million.
It was just three days ago that ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported Butler was unwilling to sign a contract extension if dealt to the Warriors, and trade talks between Golden State and Miami were off, for now. Those final two words were key. The Warriors’ front office remained diligent going after a superstar to pair alongside Curry that they have targeted for weeks now, and found a way to bring him to the Bay.
There are question marks aplenty. Butler is 35 years old. Curry turns 37 in March, and Green turns 35 only 10 days before his longtime teammate's birthday. Butler has an injury history, and Father Time has knocked on the doors of Curry and Green this season, both missing games to injuries and fighting through them to be on the court.
Butler’s locker-room presence couldn’t be more opposite of the quiet, mild-mannered Wiggins. Plus, he doesn’t offer the same 3-point shooting Wiggins does, either. All were factors the Warriors ultimately threw out the window.
Golden State Warriors
This is a team that, since winning the 2022 NA Finals, has gone from the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference to No. 6 two seasons ago and No. 10 last season. Their 25-24 record entering Wednesday night had them as the No. 10 seed in the West.
They needed 50 heroic points from Curry and seven games against the Sacramento Kings to escape the first round of the NBA playoffs the year after celebrating a title, and then the trio of Curry, Green and Klay Thompson failed to make the playoffs for the first time under coach Steve Kerr.
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The shakeup began last summer when Thompson departed for Dallas, just as Golden State’s decision makers prioritized George and Markkanen more than the Warriors icon. More change was in store.
It needed to be. If the Warriors remained stuck in the past, they would have been nothing more than a mirror image of their neighbors down the street in the San Francisco Giants, living off the good old days.
The Warriors finally again have an established star for Curry, even if it was one they wrestled with because of the risk.
“I want to win, so whatever it means to do that,” Curry said Saturday night after the Warriors were blown out by the Phoenix Suns at Chase Center.
Now, Curry and Green get to compete with an ultimate winner. A bulldog who will snarl, scratch and claw his way to taking down a herd of lions.
The end of Butler’s tenure in Miami was ugly and tumultuous. His five and a half years, however, were worthy of hanging his jersey in the rafters. Butler led the Heat to two Finals and three Eastern Conference finals berths, where the roster surrounding him never was as talented as a Warriors team that reached the Finals.
Butler in 64 Heat playoffs games averaged 24.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game. The Heat went 37-27 in the playoffs when Butler played, a 57.8 win percentage.
His drama-filled final Heat campaign has included just 25 games this season, in which Butler has been suspended three times and has averaged 17.0 points per game, his lowest since his third year in the league. He’s also two seasons removed from being named All-NBA Second Team and three years removed from his most recent trip to the NBA All-Star Game.
A motivated and engaged Butler is still a two-way presence teams instantly will fear. Butler isn’t just scoring help for Curry, but a secondary ball-handler and creator who brings variety to a stale offense and should have no problem reminding the rest of the NBA why they should have wanted him.
The Warriors know the red flags that surround Butler. They saw a green light as a team that’s been stuck staring at yellow. The championship window always has been Curry’s contract, and now he, Butler and Green form a trio frothing to be doubted.
Waiting it out worked. Rolling the dice is a move the Warriors had to make. The next chapter of Warriors basketball will be a movie nobody can look away from once again.
