The Warriors lost Jimmy Butler to a season-ending ACL injury during their recent 135-112 win against his former team, the Heat. Draymond Green recently recorded an episode of his podcast ‘The Draymond Green Show,’ where he addressed the aftermath of Jimmy Butler’s injury, including the resulting trade rumors.
He initially revealed that Jimmy Butler was more concerned about his kids than his own health and constantly worried about his plans with his children.
“First thing he said, sitting in that locker room was, ‘Man, I’m supposed to take my kids to the arcade in the morning.’ He said it four different times: ‘I’m not going to be able to take my kids to the arcade in the morning.’”
“Then we talked a little more. ‘Man, I’m supposed to take my kids to the arcade.’ That’s all he kept saying. He was just in this state of delirium. Completely delirious. I can only imagine what he felt, but he just kept saying, ‘I’m supposed to take my kids to the arcade.’”
Butler tried to remain in high spirits for his teammates while being carried off the court, but as soon as he reached the locker room, only his kids were on his mind.
The injured Warriors veteran is a father of three children with his ex-girlfriend Kaitlin Nowak: Rylee, his daughter born in October 2019, Brayan, a son born in 2022, and Kian, a son born in 2023.
He was recently involved in a child support battle with his ex-girlfriend, and the aftermath still seems to be weighing down on Butler’s chest, as this injury cost him time with his kids.
Draymond Green Shuts Down Jimmy Butler Trade Rumors
The Warriors, meanwhile, had reportedly decided to consider moving on from Jimmy Butler and gauge the market for a potential trade. Green decided to address the rumors and shut them down on his podcast as well.
“Stop. No one in our organization is moving that fast. It’s just not how it works. There’s a human element to this organization that is always weighed in. No one in this organization is moving that fast. That’s just not how we operate,” said Green, clarifying that Butler won’t immediately get traded.
“But in saying that, you do have to wonder: what direction does the team go? Is that some trade? Because one thing I do know is this team is always going to do right by Steph,” Green further added, opening up the possibility of a potential trade, if any, in the summer.
“They’ll always try to give him the best chance at success because he’s earned it, which is why they were willing to take the swing and go get Jimmy, which was very much a success up until this point.”
“What I do know is that the team will always look to improve and get better. What form does that come in? I read just like you all do. Sometimes we hear about trade stuff when it’s right there. It’s not like you’re working with the general manager or the front office group. No, we’re just trying to do our day job.”
While Draymond Green’s comments clearly indicate that the Warriors will not look to instantly make a rash trade, as they are not ruthless towards their own star players. Moreover, most teams would not give back significant value for a player who won’t be available for a season.
The 36-year-old veteran forward averaged 20.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists while shooting 51.9% from the field before ending his season due to injury.
Therefore, the Warriors will likely be on the losing end of almost any potential trades they can find currently to get rid of Jimmy Butler’s contract. Even Mike Dunleavy previously clarified that they do not intend to trade Butler before the trade deadline and envision a role for him upon return.
However, one does have to wonder what the next steps are for the Warriors next. Capitalizing on Stephen Curry’s championship-winning window was on top of the franchise’s priority list initially.
But Green’s comments do highlight how Butler’s injury may create a dilemma for the front office, and asked to give them grace as they are just doing their job to the best of their abilities.
This means that while he does not anticipate any move coming for Butler, he wouldn’t be surprised if the Warriors decided to trade him if they are getting a package in return that makes them better. Therefore, it will be interesting to see what the Warriors’ front office does to address this situation.
