Status quo in Golden State: Jimmy Butler reaffirms commitment to the Warriors, the team denies rumors about the greens
This is not the season the Golden State Warriors imagined. Rather than everything falling into place for a potential playoff run, the Warriors are banged up, are 29-27 and sit eighth in the West and, without Stephen Curry (runner’s knee) for the next handful of games, are in danger of falling even further behind in the West.
Despite all of this, don’t expect any big changes this offseason.
Announcement
Jimmy Butler, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament and will miss at least half of next season, said in a letter to season ticket holders that he plans to return.
“This story, which has been interrupted twice, is not complete. Not for a long time. This time is simply a part of our journey. I can’t wait to see what next season holds and I will treasure the opportunity to put my jersey back on and take the field with Steph, Dray and the rest of the guys, in front of all of you. I’m sure that when I come back and hear all of you singing in unison “WAAAAARRRRIIIIORRRSSSSS”, it will push me forward and provide an incredible rush of adrenaline.”
At the trade deadline there were rumors of the Warriors pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the only way to make that job reasonably work is to trade the injured Butler or Draymond Green to Milwaukee, to equalize salaries. That led to a lot of speculation about Green, but Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob said Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard that Green was never on the table.
Announcement
“It was never talked about in a trade; Mike [Dunleavy, Warriors GM] what he said was 100% correct. I know he took a lot of crap for this. And he seemed defensive. I mean, I think he would say that in retrospect…
“We’ve never had a real commitment on some of the big deals to the point where we get to specific names. People can look at the roster and make assumptions about who may or may not have to go if you have a certain guy. But I can tell you he’s never been acquired in any way. He’s a cornerstone guy in our franchise. You don’t trade a Draymond Green simply or easily. You do it if you have to, and you’re getting tremendous value and you’re making your team better as well. Draymond said he understands that. You have to look at those things, but his name doesn’t was ever specifically discussed with another team.
Maybe Antetokounmpo or some other big move will come around the Warriors this summer, but more likely is that Green and Curry start the season with, hopefully, a better supporting cast around them, Butler returns midseason, and maybe next year they can make another run in the Stephen Curry era.