Stephen Curry spoke after the Golden State Warriors 131-128 loss to the Utah Jazz. When talking about the trade for Jimmy Butler, Curry noted that while Butler caused a lot of controversy in his departure from the Heat, he is excited to work with him in this new environment. He added that he sent Butler a text at halftime when the trade was finalized, and got a positive response from his new teammate.
“He went to two finals. He’s a winner. I understand there was a lot of drama down there. Who really knows what the story is? We expect to have a motivated, committed Jimmy who is ready to impact our team for the better.”
“You gotta work out the kinks of what it looks like. I’m excited to get to work and feed off the energy of someone new, somebody that’s had experience at the highest levels, and has a lot to prove. We’re going to try and help each other do it.”
“I texted him at halftime. Just excited to get things going, start a conversation, and hit the ground running. I don’t know when I’ll see him in person… It was a very pleasant message.”
Curry will be glad to see another All-Star-caliber teammate next to him on the team sheet going forward, especially in the aftermath of last night’s loss. While Curry and Steve Kerr had their doubts about Butler, he is now going to be in the foxhole with them. The Warriors are lacking a serious edge this season, and. Butler’s grit and determination could be exactly what the franchise needs to turn their season around.
Curry On What Butler Brings To The Table
In the same press conference, Stephen Curry also spoke about what he’s looking for from Jimmy Butler on the Warriors. He praised Butler for being a versatile player who can play at the highest level. Curry added that he’s been watching Butler’s games so that he can understand what he does on the court, and how the Warriors can integrate his strengths into the team.
“It’ll look different than what we’re used to. He can play up, and show a little emotion but he’s a shot creator, a finisher, somebody that you have to take into account no matter where he is on the floor. He plays at his own speed, gets to the foul line, and takes advantage of matchups. You gotta be smart, and play high IQ basketball to figure it out on the fly.”
“But he’s obviously a competitor at the highest level. Me and him could work off each other. I’m excited to see what it looks like. I’ve been watching a lot of Miami film to understand some of the sets that we might run for him. We’ll see if we can transition it into our playbook. We want to give him free rein to give us some insight into what he’s comfortable with and make adjustments. But we all gotta be ourselves too.”
Butler’s arrival to the Warriors almost looked like it wasn’t going to happen. Jimmy had told the Warriors that he didn’t intend to sign a long-term contract extension with them just a few days ago. As such, the Warriors looked elsewhere, approaching every All-Star available to make a move.
However, as Butler’s Phoenix Suns dreams began to die, and the Warriors were spurned by Kevin Durant, Butler changed his stance and made the move, even agreeing to a two-year, $121 million contract extension with the team.
Butler will touchdown in San Francisco today, and after undergoing a medical, he and the Warriors will quickly get to work so that he can take to the court as soon as possible.
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