Jimmy Butler endured a tumultuous ending to his tenure with the Miami Heat. The veteran guard forced his way out of South Beach after handing in a trade request. He was sent to the Golden State Warriors at the Feb. 6 trade deadline, immediately signing a two-year contract extension.
While Butler has hit the ground running for his new team, the way he orchestrated his exit from Miami hasn’t sat right with everyone. Former Golden State and Heat sharpshooter Tim Hardaway recently branded Butler a ‘crybaby’ for his antics in Miami.
“I didn’t agree with what he was doing. You’re under contract. You’re a baby, you’re a crybaby because they said no to you,” Hardaway said via Sirius XM NBA Radio. “We used to get no said to us all the time, and we used to know how to take it. It is what it is. It’s a question, you get a yes or a no. You might not like the question, but you can’t deviate and mess up the team.”
Despite his messy exit, Butler is already establishing himself as a key part of the Warriors rotation. Pairing the veteran forward with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green has quickly re-established Golden State as a potential threat in the Western Conference.
Regardless of any potentially hurt feelings from other players, both past and present, the Warriors will undoubtedly be happy with the latest addition to their roster.
Draymond Green Promises Warriors Will be Champs
During a live telecast at NBA All-Star weekend, Green made the bold move of guaranteeing the Warriors will win the 2025 NBA championship.
“I think we were kinda heading in the wrong direction,” Green said. “Thinking we would figure it out, and never figuring it out throughout the course of this year. And since he’s been here, we’ve walked into every game thinking and believing that we’re going to win that game…He’s brought back that belief. And I think we’re going to win the championship…I lied. We are going to win the championship.”
There’s no doubt that Butler improves Golden State’s roster. His presence gives Curry another All-Star teammate who is capable of putting the team on his back. Nevertheless, this year’s playoffs may come too soon as Butler gets accustomed to his new surroundings and a new style of play.
Still, Green has never been one to shy away from high expectations and is clearly looking to galvanize his teammates with his latest comments.
Warriors’ Curry Reacts to Green’s Bold Promise
When speaking to the media shortly after being crowned All-Star MVP on Sunday, Feb. 16, Curry shared his thoughts on Green’s bold promise.
“I’m excited,” Curry said. “I got Draymond [Green] on the telecast guaranteeing we’re winning a championship. I love the expectations and having something to play for. He’s lighting a fire, for sure…But all jokes aside, I think we finished the last four games 3-1 and we have a lot to figure out still, and I think 27 games or so left to make a push. All we want is just to get into a playoff series and have a fighting chance to be a tough out against anybody in the West, and we have a good opportunity in front of us to do that.”
Curry, 36, has been vocal about wanting to remain competitive during the final stage of his career. Adding Butler to the Warriors rotation will allow Curry to achieve that goal. However, it’s far too soon to be guaranteeing championship success, even if it doesn’t seem that far-fetched.
