Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green proclaimed during the All-Star break that his team will win the championship this season.
"We are going to win the championship" 👀
– Draymond Green pic.twitter.com/LgJLyEbBQI
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 17, 2025
Recently, Green expanded on those comments, sharing that the team’s acquisition of Jimmy Butler in a trade with the Miami Heat has been the “missing piece” that Golden State needed.
“I just know what it looks like,” Green told The Athletic when asked about his claim that the Warriors will win the title this season. “This team all year has been kind of like, ‘Man, we’re right there, but can’t quite get over the hump.’ But there’s a reason that you feel like you’re right there, but can’t quite get over.
“And the reason I think we all thought we couldn’t quite get over was because there was a missing piece. That piece isn’t missing anymore. That piece is him.”
Since acquiring Butler, the Warriors are 5-1, and they have jumped into the No. 9 spot in the Western Conference. Golden State is just 1.5 games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 6 seed (the final playoff spot before the play-in tournament).
Butler’s time in Miami during the 2024-25 campaign was rough, as he was suspended on multiple occasions by the franchise before the Heat finally decided to trade him. Now, the six-time All-Star appears to be thriving in Golden State by playing alongside Green and Stephen Curry.
In six games with the Warriors, Butler is averaging 20.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 31.7 minutes per game. He’s also shooting 46.7 percent from the field, but has struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 10.0 percent on 1.7 attempts per game.
Butler’s points, rebounds and assists per game are up from his time in Miami this season when he averaged 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per night across 25 contests.
Green has won four titles with Golden State, so he clearly knows what it takes to reach and win the championship series. The addition of Butler has given Golden State another star that can take some pressure off of Curry on a nightly basis to carry the offense.
With both Green and Curry aging, Golden State clearly viewed Butler as a player that could help the franchise win now and maximize the final years of Curry’s prime. An All-Star this season, Curry last led Golden State to a title in the 2021-22 season, winning the NBA Finals MVP award against the Boston Celtics.
Heat fans have seen Butler lead teams to the NBA Finals, and now Green and the Warriors are hoping the newcomer can do that again this season.
