The Golden State Warriors, prior to the trade deadline, were determined to take a risk. They stepped as much as the plate and determined that taking a hazard on a disgruntled Jimmy Butler, who’s done nothing but frustrate the Miami Heat brass, was worth it. After all, Butler has verified in the past that he can show up for his team while it matters the most. And with the Warriors nonetheless chasing a playoff spot in the loaded Western Conference, Butler appears to be proving them right in his early days within the Bay.

The Warriors moved to 4-1 with Butler on the roster after a dominant effort in opposition to the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, taking down their division rival with a 132-108 victory. And while it became more of a balanced effort that propelled the Dubs to victory lane, head coach Steve Kerr gave Butler his flowers, explaining how their trade for the 35-year-old star has modified the dynamic of the team for the better.

“He passes. He creates shots along with his passing, along with his penetration, with his splendid footwork, essential play. Jimmy plays off two feet—jump stop, pivot, by no means turns it over. He’s got claws for hands. When he receives the ball in traffic, we emerge with huge open looks. He simply connects the game for the rest of the guys. And we’re getting a lot better appearances because of Jimmy’s presence,” Kerr stated through 95.7 The Game on X, formerly Twitter.

“He just connects the game for the rest of the guys. And we’re getting much better looks because of Jimmy’s presence.”

Steve Kerr on what Jimmy Butler has brought to the Warriors offense pic.twitter.com/h99m4ZVKV3

— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) February 22, 2025

Butler is certainly flourishing as an elite connective piece in the Warriors’ offense; the eye he and Stephen Curry draw has been creating a ton of excellent opportunities for the rest of the team, and as they confirmed on Friday night, they’re a hard team to stop when everything is clicking. Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, and Buddy Hield all crossed the 20-point mark, and it is a testament to the harmony with which the Dubs are playing, which has been made possible by using their trade for Butler.

Golden State Warriors recognize the need for change with Jimmy Butler trade

Over the past few seasons, the Warriors have been determined to stick to their guns, choosing to develop their young guys and refusing to grasp them in any potential blockbuster trade. But the 2024-25 season has seen the Dubs fall to mediocrity after a better start to the campaign, and they acknowledged that a major change was necessary to ignite the spark that can alter the outlook in their season.

Jimmy Butler’s shenanigans throughout his very last days with the Heat franchise have depressed his trade value to the point where the Warriors determined acquiring him to be feasible at a reasonable price. And Steve Kerr credits the front office for taking that risk, which seems to be paying off, at least for the meantime.

“Mike Dunleavy knew we wished for a shakeup… Jimmy manifestly is surely a top match subsequent to Steph and Draymond… We wished for the shakeup, and you could see the difference now,” Kerr said, via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.