Last month, the Miami Heat traded Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors. At the time, Butler was linked to numerous other teams. This includes the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and most notably, the Phoenix Suns. Ultimately, the Heat sent Butler to Golden State.
In a recent report, Anthony Slater of The Athletic (subscription required), said Butler initially wanted to join the Suns. However, Butler “wasn’t skeptical” about joining the Warriors, even if they were reportedly not his first choice.
After asking out of Miami, Butler didn’t initially want to be traded to the Warriors. He was trying to muscle his way to the Phoenix Suns because he was more familiar with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Tyus Jones, his former teammate. “I wasn’t skeptical of coming here,” Butler said. “I just didn’t talk to anybody. … I knew I was going to get this contract no matter what. The people keep talking about it being about the money. How can it be about the money when any team that traded for me, what were they going to do? I just want to win. Where can I go to win?”
Additionally, Andscape’s Marc J. Spears also recently revealed why Butler wanted a trade from Miami, regardless of where he ended up.
“Jimmy Butler wanted to be traded because he felt the Heat were moving in a direction without him in mind and he wanted to be more valued, sources said. The four-time NBA All-Star ended up asking for a trade from the Heat in his seventh season with the franchise,” Spears wrote.
Jimmy Butler Gets Brutally Honest About Warriors Trade
Jimmy Butler Reveals How He Can Win Title With the Warriors
Recently, Butler spoke about his growth and maturity as a person and basketball player. In doing so, he made it clear that this could help him and the Warriors win a championship.
“I think I’ve matured a lot and grew into that,” Butler told the media. “Whenever I was young in the league, it was always score, score, score, [and] show everybody that you belong in this league. I know that I belong in this league now. I’m comfortable with who I am as a player. So now it’s always about my guys, whatever you all need me to do. [Draymond Green]’s the same way. Steph’s the same way. All of us that have been in the league for a little bit. It’s only about winning at this point in time in our career, and for them, it always has been. Not the same for me, but now I’m winning.”
As it stands, Butler has never won an NBA title. However, he has made two NBA Finals appearances as a member of the Heat (2020 and 2023). As for the rest of the Warriors’ “Big Three,” that is a different story. They are four-time NBA Champions and won it all as recently as 2022. However, the clock is ticking for all of them to add to their resume. With Butler’s arrival, it could make it a lot easier for the team to accomplish this goal.
Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images
The post Jimmy Butler Gets Brutally Honest About Warriors Trade appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.