“Welcome to the Wild Wild West” An excited Jimmy Butler announced his arrival to the Bay Area with a tweet soon after the Heat traded him. Initially, it looked like the deal would never happen as Jimmy reportedly did not want to sign an extension with the Warriors, and Stephen Curry along with Steve Kerr had concerns about his personality fit in their locker room. But its time for Kerr to come to terms with reality and even though he is heartbroken following the departure of Andrew Wiggins, the head coach has already begun planning a future with Butler.
Addressing how the Warriors’ offense will change with Jimmy in the lineup, Kerr said, “I mean we will keep it pretty simple. He’s a great player. All great players they figure out how to play with other great players. So, I’m not too worried about him fitting in with his teammates.” The plan is to simplify the actions that Kerr already runs so that Butler can settle in with the Bay Area style of basketball. “I don’t think that will be too big of a challenge.” He added.
However, Kerr did acknowledge that he needs to figure out the combinations he will put on the floor with the new recruit. As expected, Butler will be the main guy when Steph is resting, “He’ll for sure play the non-Steph minutes so we can run our offense through him once Steph’s on the bench. But we’ve got a lot of candidates to put next to him and we’ve gotta figure out those rotations.”
Steve Kerr on Jimmy Butler: “He’ll for sure play the non-Steph minutes, run our offense through him.” pic.twitter.com/F6KneAyItP
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 7, 2025
While the head coach’s plan is in motion following the trade, the Warriors’ front office has already burdened Butler with massive expectations. Turns out, the six-time All-Star will no longer wear the number he used to wear in Miami and switch to No. 10 instead. Obviously, Jimmy’s No. 22 was worn by Wiggins in Golden State for six years. But Jimmy’s new number is not something out of the blue. Turns out, GM Mike Dunleavy dawned the Number 10 jersey as a Bay Area rookie and had a message for Butler while giving the number to him, “Get it in the rafters.”
Mike Dunleavy reminded Jimmy Butler he wore #10 as a Warriors rookie: “Get it in the rafters” pic.twitter.com/EaLgMY4cjU
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 7, 2025
Of course, Jimmy and Dunleavy were teammates in Chicago for three years and share a great bond.
(Developing Story)
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