Golden State Warriors star forward Jimmy Butler is going “above and beyond” to ingratiate himself to the Warriors franchise, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Butler, who was traded to Golden State from the Miami Heat ahead of this season’s trade deadline, went through a long saga to find a new team after he was not given a contract extension in Miami.
According to Charania, Butler feels like the Warriors organization is better than any other one that he’s been a part of.
“He does feel like this organization is better than any other organization he’s been a part of,” Charania said of Butler. “But I’m telling you it’s different this time. I haven’t sensed the same feeling he’s had when he went to Philly, when he went to Miami. This is different for Jimmy Butler going to Golden State. He’s staying late for shootarounds. He’s staying late for practices. He’s spending so much time in the training room, the meal room. He’s going above and beyond to ingratiate himself with the Warriors right now.”
This certainly feels like a shot against the Heat, as Butler spent several seasons there but ended up exiting in unceremonious fashion. He was suspended by the franchise three times before eventually getting traded this season, and he missed a ton of games for the Heat that certainly has hurt them so far in the 2024-25 season.
In addition to playing for Miami, Butler has spent time with the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers in his NBA career.
It’s possible that Butler feels so strongly about the Warriors organization because of the success that they’ve had in recent years. Golden State has won four titles and been to six NBA Finals with Stephen Curry on the roster, and he and Draymond Green are still left from the Warriors’ dynastic run from the 2014-15 season through the 2017-18 season when they won three NBA titles.
Butler led the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances during his time with the franchise, but he was never able to capture a title in Miami.
Now, the six-time All-Star is hoping to do so in Golden State. The Warriors currently hold the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference with a 30-27 record. However, they are 5-1 in the games that Butler has played in.
It’ll be interesting to see if Butler continues to show such a strong commitment to the Warriors for the rest of this season and beyond in his NBA career.
