Before the trade deadline, when the Golden State Warriors seemed to be headed toward another season of mediocrity, a report surfaced indicating that two influential figures within the Warriors organization had reservations about acquiring six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler.
According to NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor, star guard Stephen Curry and head coach Steve Kerr harbored concerns about Butler’s “personality fit.”
Still, the Warriors acquired Butler anyway, and they gave up a player who was key to their 2022 title run in Andrew Wiggins (along with other pieces) in exchange for the veteran.
Months removed from the Warriors making that win-now move to acquire Butler, Kerr has revealed that longtime Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra told him Butler would be “great” for the Warriors.
“Erik Spoelstra told me immediately — he said, ‘He’s going to be great for you,’” Kerr revealed. “And I know Spo really well from the last couple of summers, and I trust him. I believed him, and he was right.”
Kerr had nothing but positive things to say about his experience coaching Butler this season.
“He was an absolute dream,” he said. “I know everything that happened in Miami would not have suggested that, but I can only base Jimmy’s impact and his personality and all that stuff on my experience. And he was the model citizen. Just an amazing guy to coach these last few months.”
Spoelstra proved to be right, as the play of Butler was a big reason why the Warriors were able to turn their season around for the better after the trade deadline. The Warriors won 23 of the 30 games Butler played in for them during the regular season, and their strong finish to the campaign helped them nab a playoff spot in a tough West after they survived the play-in tournament.
After punching their ticket to the playoffs, the Warriors then pulled off a series victory in the opening round with the help of Butler. He was available in six of seven games against the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets and scored at least 20 points in four of those games.
Butler and the Warriors saw their season come to an end at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round, but Curry was sidelined for a large majority of the series with a hamstring injury. It’s worth noting that Butler caught some flak for being too passive with Curry sidelined.
Perhaps if Curry didn’t go down with his injury, the Warriors would still be kicking in these playoffs. Kerr should be optimistic that the Warriors can make a deep run in the 2026 NBA Playoffs if all of Butler, Curry and fellow veteran Draymond Green can stay out of harm’s way.
