SAN FRANCISCO – Jimmy Butler III’s path from the Miami Heat to the Golden State Warriors wasn’t paved in a few days or weeks or months. It was a concept born in the recesses of Mike Dunleavy’s mind since 2018, when the Warriors hired him as a scout.
It took more than six years and two Dunleavy promotions – lastly to general manager in June 2023 – for his thought bubble to become a reality on Feb. 6.
“I think (it goes back to) whenever I started employment with the Warriors,” Dunleavy said on the “Dubs Talk” podcast. “We look back how long that span was. It always felt like Jimmy would be a great add. As recently as last summer, I've been knocking on that door and things evolved there in Miami with him and his contract and looking to go elsewhere.
“So fortunately for us, you know, right time, right place. And we were able to make the deal.”
With the NBA trade deadline looming and the Warriors gasping for air in the unforgiving Western Conference, Dunleavy and Golden State CEO Joe Lacob were determined to make a seismic move. They considered Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vučević. They inquired with the Phoenix Suns about Kevin Durant. There were other feelers that went nowhere.
When no deal materialized, Dunleavy, Lacob and their front office cohorts checked in with veterans Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, as well as coach Steve Kerr. There were enough thumbs going up to pivot to Butler and intensify negotiations.
“First and foremost, we had to get better,” Dunleavy said. “We had to get better on the basketball court. But we needed to get better, emotionally. We’d lost our way.
Golden State Warriors
“And to be able to accomplish those two things, there's not many players out there that can do that. And I felt like Jimmy was one of those guys. It's tough in this league to make trades because there's very few really good players that are available. And in this case, Jimmy was. We know about the stuff in Miami, but because of that he was a player we could trade for.”
The five-year marriage between Butler and the Heat ended amid public acrimony, and the Warriors were willing to meet his desires, the first being a lucrative contract extension: $111 million over two years.
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The Warriors gave up one starter, Andrew Wiggins, as well as rotation players Kyle Anderson, Dennis Schröder and Lindy Waters III.
Despite considerable skepticism around the NBA, Dunleavy and Lacob, who authorized the contract extension, went all in on the 35-year-old forward who is an average shooter and, over the last three seasons, missed an average of 21.7 games.
“Jimmy's a guy I think I've always felt like with this group, again, with his IQ, his cutting, his passing, his off-ball defense, all these things,” Dunleavy said. “I know people bring up the shooting and how's that going to work and how's that going to fit. But it goes way beyond that. And he's such a good fit for our style of play, our coaching staff and our players.
“So, (we’re) really pleased to have him and, looking forward to, to enjoy watching it.”
The initial payoff has been enormous. The Warriors were 25-26, the definition of mediocrity, in the pre-Butler era. They are 8-2 and rising in the standings in the post-Butler era – and lost the only game he missed.
Butler’s presence has elevated the games of every rotation player on Golden State’s roster, from decorated veterans Curry and Green to rookie center Quinten Post. To put a finer point on it, in the 10 games before Butler arrived, Curry averaged 22.0 points per game on 38.3-percent shooting from the field, including 30.8 percent from deep. In 10 games post-Jimmy, Curry has bounced to 28.9 points per game, with percentages at 50.3 and 41.9.
The trade likely would not have happened if Dunleavy didn’t have a positive history with Butler. They were teammates for three seasons (2013-16) with the Chicago Bulls, with the first two seasons under coach Tom Thibodeau ending in the playoffs. After a 50-32 season that ended with a loss to Cleveland in the 2015 Eastern Conference semifinals, Thibodeau was fired and replaced by Fred Hoiberg. Dunleavy lasted one season with the new coach, while Butler lasted two.
In the early stages of monitoring Butler, Dunleavy trusted his relationship – “there was a comfort level there” – that allowed him to dismiss some of the negative chatter related to the breakup with the Heat. He leaned into his instincts and the middling state of the Warriors, and he pushed until the trade was completed.
Dunleavy and Lacob had grown weary of watching Curry and Green Kerr come off the floor scratching their heads after puzzling losses, wondering how they had blown yet another considerable lead.
“We've all watched a lot of our games this year and the last couple of years,” Dunleavy said. “There's a lot of up and down with this group, game to game, wins and losses. Some really gratifying wins and some really, really tough losses where we've had the game in hand and lost at the end. And I think his stable presence helps us emotionally. I think it helps our coaches. I think it helps our, our players. It helps our entire organization.”
The Warriors believe they’re dangerous once again. That if Curry, Green and “Playoff Jimmy” are healthy, they can compete with any team they face in the playoffs. Butler has a history of reaching another level in the postseason and bringing his teammates along with him.
“He does everything,” Curry said a few days ago. “We had built a good chemistry and rhythm with him. He impacts both ends of the floor.”
Green needed only four games alongside Butler to not only visualize winning the NBA Finals but announcing it as a given. It’s a reach, to be sure, but it’s not nearly as absurd as it would have been a month ago.
