The Golden State Warriors held a 24-24 record after their January 31st to the Phoenix Suns. That had them at the 10th seed in the Western Conference in a tie with the Sacramento Kings, meaning they were far from guaranteed a play-in spot. Seeing this, the front office knew they had to make
While rumors floated around that a potential deal could’ve gone down to bring in Kevin Durant from the Suns, the Warriors ultimately landed on Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler. After he made his debut against the Chicago Bulls on February 8th, the Warriors had a 23-7 record with Butler on the court. Reflecting back on the trade, Steph Curry shared his thoughts on what went down.
Apr 15, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) and guard Stephen Curry (30) meet after a play against the Memphis Grizzlies in the second quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
“Absolutely. There was a lot of chatter whether that was the right trade or not when it happened,” Curry said in terms of whether the Butler trade was above and beyond what was expected. “You all know we were in Utah and the trade went down, like we were emotional in that period because we saw three guys who we loved — Wiggs being a part of our championship run having to go.”
Even though Butler was a game changer during the regular season, he wasn’t exactly ‘Playoff Jimmy’ during the postseason, averaging just 19.2 points per game on 44.7% from the field.
“But from the first game in Chicago to last night, it was a seamless fit,” Curry added. “Me and him complemented each other so well. He gave us so much belief that we could beat anybody any given night and make a legitimate run at climbing up the standings, and even having some playoff experience to look forward to.”
Curry also shared that he thinks it was a success and looks forward to next season with a full offseason under their belts together.