Golden State traded for Jimmy Butler as part of one final swing for the fences to try and bring another title to the Bay Area during the Stephen Curry era. The Warriors have gone 16-4 since that trade with an elite defense, making them look like a threat in the West — so far, so good.
Not long after trading for Butler, the Warriors rewarded him with a two-year, $112 max contract extension — the one Pat Riley very publicly said Miami would not give him, essentially striking a match to burn down that relationship. Butler got what he wanted most of all: to be paid.
However, the Warriors considered negotiating a deal for less than the max, until GM Michael Dunleavy Jr. stepped up for Butler, reports Anthony Slater at The Athletic.
Others in the decision-making tree debated whether they should either hold off on an extension offer or negotiate it below the max, team sources said. Dunleavy vouched for Butler, the player and person, and convinced ownership the financial pledge would prove worth it — a motivated Butler would view it as a signal of belief.
For the Warriors, this made sense — if you’re swinging for the fences, don’t hold back.
For 20 games, things have worked great for the Warriors and Butler. However, things have started great at other stops along Butler’s career only for them to end with fast trades and burned bridges. What happens in the Bay Area remains to be seen, where the Warriors and a 35-year-old Butler (not to mention a 37-year-old Curry and a 35-year-old Draymond Green) are wed for a couple more years in a deep and talented West.
