Jimmy Butler has spoken honestly about the drama at the Heat and turning a new leaf with the Warriors.
Butler wanted to be traded away from Miami “because he felt the Heat were moving in a direction without him in mind and he wanted to be more valued”, according to Andscape’s Marc J. Spears.
This was clear by Pat Riley’s action, ie no interest in extending Butler last offseason and shifting the offense this season to Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo.
As soon as Butler arrived at Golden State, he made sure that the soap opera from his trade request and suspensions with the Miami Heat wouldn’t hang over him like a San Francisco morning fog. So, the veteran swingman made a point to tell his new teammates he was committed to winning.
“When I walked in, I was like, ‘Yo, look man, I’m only here to win,’” Butler told Andscape. “’I don’t care about nothing else. I don’t care about points. I don’t care about shots. I don’t care about none of that. I’m only here to win and I’ve always only been places to win. So, whatever y’all need me to do, y’all let me know.’
“‘Show me some grace because I’m new until I get the hang of this thing. But the one thing about everything is my energy is at an all-time high because I’m here and ain’t s— changed. The goal is still remaining the same and that’s winning a championship.’ ”
The most important thing for Jimmy at Golden State is that he feels wanted.
“I saw a group that wanted me to be a part of it,” Butler said. “That’s all you ever wanted to be is wanted in this life, not just in this league. In anything, you want to be wanted. Needed is like a necessity. Wanted is like somebody’s choosing to bring you aboard this. I think that’s the ultimate sign of respect.
“I talked to both [Curry and Green], but I’ve talked to both of them for a while. But they said, ‘We can do something special. We need what you bring. The winning mentality, the hard nose on both sides of the ball.’ I think that’s what you want. That’s what they told me that I bring and I’m like, ‘Come on with it.’ ”
The nine-time All-Star added that he’s in a “really good headspace”.
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