Jimmy Butler is a six-time NBA All-Star, five-time All-NBA and five-time All-Defensive team selection and a perennial two-way wing who has elevated every franchise he’s played for over his 14-year NBA career.
He was selected 30th overall in 2011 by the Chicago Bulls, spending six seasons with the franchise, and broke out in 2014-15, earning Most Improved Player of the Year honors.
Afterward, he spent one-and-a-half seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, half a season with the Philadelphia 76ers and the previous five-and-a-half years with the Miami Heat, where he became the franchise centerpiece and led the organization to several deep playoff runs, including the NBA Finals in 2019-20 and 2022-23.
Despite all of his success in Miami, the Heat completed a five-team blockbuster trade that sent Butler to the Golden State Warriors in February 2025, part of a package that included Andrew Wiggins and several role players.
On Friday, Ann Killion of the San Francisco Chronicle reported sitting down with Butler, who opened up about all of the chaos that came during the end of his time in Miami and how excited he is to be in Golden State.
“All that noise, all that chaos paid off in a major way. I’m lucky to be part of this phenomenal organization,” Butler said. “Everywhere starts off great, but then you know someone has to be the bad guy, and it gets to be me. I’m always the one doing something unbearable all of a sudden… But that’s OK. I get to play in this wonderful league, with amazing teammates. But being here, they’ve only got one goal. To keep hanging those things up on the wall. Ain’t no hidden agendas.”
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The move that brought Butler to the Bay Area capped months of tension in South Beach — trade requests, a mid-season suspension and public comments about his future strained the relationship and forced the Heat’s hand to pursue a deal.
His impact with the Warriors was immediate. Butler debuted on Feb. 8, and scored 25 points along with four assists, one block and one steal in a 132-111 Golden State win over the Bulls. Over 30 games of the regular season with the franchise, Butler averaged 17.9 points, 5.9 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 32.7 minutes per game and elevated his play in the playoffs.
In 11 postseason games, Butler averaged 19.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.3 steals in 36 minutes a night, helping the Warriors advance to the Western Conference semifinals, where they lost in five games to the Timberwolves, his former team.
Despite the early playoff exit, the Warriors went 23-7 over the 30 games with Butler in the lineup and were viewed as a potential darkhorse to compete for the title, thanks in large part to Butler’s two-way ability and playoff experience.
With the 2025-26 NBA season set to be his first full campaign in Golden State alongside franchise icons Steph Curry and Draymond Green, expectations remain sky-high.
The Warriors open their season on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, a game in which Golden State is currently considered a 1.5-point favorite with LeBron James out of the lineup for the Lakers.