Jimmy Butler: I Feel 'Wanted' and 'Appreciated' by Warriors After Trade, Contract
Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler feels "wanted" and "appreciated" by the organization, per comments made to Jake Fischer for The Stein Line newsletter.
"I am wanted here. I'm appreciated here. I'm grateful that [president of basketball operations Mike Dunleavy Jr.] saw what I could bring to this organization and this team," Butler said.
The Warriors acquired Butler from the Miami Heat in February as part of a massive five-team deal that involved eight other players and seven draft picks. He then declined a 2025-26 player option and signed a two-year, $121 million extension through the 2026-27 season.
Golden State has since gone 15-2 with Butler on the court, good enough to vault the team to sixth in the Western Conference with a 40-29 mark.
Butler did not leave Miami on good terms, to say the least. He was suspended on three different occasions in Miami (seven games, two games, indefinite). The indefinite suspension was in response to him walking out of a practice after learning that he would be taken out of the starting lineup.
Butler had previously told reporters that he lost his joy playing basketball with the Heat, who had the opportunity to offer him a two-year, $113 million extension last summer but decided against it, per Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Butler and the Heat clearly weren't on the same page all season, but now he's gotten a fresh start in Golden State, a team that was in desperate need of a shake-up after a mediocre 25-26 start pre-Butler trade. Now the Warriors look like they could be a championship contender.
Better yet, the good times figure to keep rolling, with each of Golden State's next five opponents all sporting losing records. One of them is the Heat, who have lost eight straight games to fall to 29-39.
Butler and the Warriors look to keep up their winning ways when they host the Toronto Raptors on Thursday.
