PHOTO: JEROME MIRON
Now THAT’S a trade!
Not since the 49ers shook the trade bushes and found Christian McCaffrey hiding behind a Carolina shrub has the Bay Area seen a trade like the Jimmy Butler trade the Warriors made.
With all due respect to Farhan Zaidi’s big trade for Mark Canha, of course.
Joe Lacob continues to prove that he is the 21st century Eddie D., waking up every morning thinking about breakfast and championships, and not in that order.
All season, the Warriors have tried. They tried this fall to unveil post-Klay Strength in Numbers 2.0. Call it the “DeAnthony Melton Plan”. It went pretty darn good, a 12-3 start that surprised even the hardiest of skeptics. But Melton got hurt, Buddy Hield turned into a brick and the bottom fell out.
So the Warriors tried again. Mike Dunleavy, Jr. made a move for Dennis Schroder, even including the umlaut in the deal. Some scoffed, but I was glad Dunleavy was still working, and in the past had been impressed by Schroder, and even the umlaut.
It didn’t work. The Warriors kept skidding, posting a losing record with Schroder.
So the Warriors tried again, and we Jock Blogged last week that even though we all wanted Kevin Durant, landing Jimmy Butler surely satisfied the “STEPH NEEDS HELP” faction of Warriors fandom.
Eureka!
Four nights — at Chicago, at Milwaukee, at Dallas and then at Houston — and the Warriors are a totally different club. Three road wins in four tries, and while you could say it should have been four road wins in four tries, that sentiment alone shows how wildly effective the Butler trade has been.
We can talk about all the basketball reasons why Jimmy Butler has adapted so well in such a short time: he has introduced the concept of free throws to a free throw-starved team; he doesn’t live at the 3-point line, offering the Warriors variety in spacing; he’ll grab an offensive rebound and a putback; he is willing to pass to the open man, already averaging 5.3 assists per game.
But perhaps his most important attribute is not quantifiable, unless you consult a veterinarian — the dog in Jimmy Butler is just what the doctor ordered for the Warriors.
All love to Andrew Wiggins and his invaluable add to the 2022 NBA Championship, but the relative passivity and inconsistency of his game left this club wanting. With Klay Thompson off to Dallas, and with Steph Curry harassed by half the building every time he touches the ball, it left Draymond Green as a lone wolf of attitude, and a slightly diminished one at that.
Butler’s arrival — and the loads of innate charisma and unafraid attitude he packed with his luggage — has changed that. Green went so far as to call him a “franchise changer” after the win in Houston. He also dropped the ‘b’ word, and I’m not talking about Too $hort’s upcoming NBA All-Star performance.
Draymond talked about Jimmy Butler giving the Warriors belief.
And to think that Jonathan Kuminga, the prized 22-year-old they did not trade, is due back after the All-Star break.
Listen, we’re under no illusions here. The 2025 Warriors are not the Bill Russell Celtics, they are not the Kobe-Shaq Lakers. Their stars are 35 and older. They are 28-27 and in 10th place. A talented big man on an opposing team can put them into a trash compactor, in a hurry.
But things are happening. The Warriors have way more swagger than they did a week ago at this time. Lacob and Dunleavy did work, and can walk around Lacob’s castle this weekend hosting All-Star parties with a little air of danger around them.
To think, it was a backup plan after Kevin Durant fell through. We just had a “‘90s Friday” on the show, so shout out Vanessa Williams’ 1992 ballad, “Save the Best for Last”, where the two lovebirds wind up being right for each other after not knowing all along. Sometimes the snow comes down in June, for you kids who had prom in the 1990s.
Jimmy Butler is a Warrior, and they are winning more basketball games and there are more reports of canine growls coming from the Warriors locker room.
Now that’s a trade.
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