Jimmy Butler joins Golden State Warriors as he chases first NBA title of career

Jimmy Butler completed his protracted breakup with the Miami Heat after securing a trade away from the Miami franchise to the Golden State Warriors where he will link up with Steph Curry as he chases first NBA title of career.
“I would like to say that I am a winner. I haven’t won ‘it’ but I would like to call myself a winner. I do want to win ‘it’ — it being a championship,” Butler said late last night after he was introduced the Warriors before their game at the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.
Butler forced his way out of Heat, repeatedly confronting the franchise management. Before being traded right before the Trade Deadline, Butler earned himself three suspensions in January. He was also criticized Heat president Pat Riley after last season.
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“I don’t got too many bad things to say about them,” Butler said striking a rare reconciliatory tone. “I don’t. They gave me opportunity. I felt like I did my job to the highest level. I have so much respect for that organization, for the people that’s running that organization and for my former teammates. And I’m always going to wish them the best. … I’ve got a lot of love for a lot of people over there in that organization.”
“I know I have my joy back now,” Butler said on Thursday.
The guard leaves the Heat as their regular-season leader with 13 triple-doubles, and is eighth on the team’s ls of points, rebounds and asss. This explains why Warriors gave up so much for Butler: the Heat were sent Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and a 2025 protected first-round draft pick. Not to mention the additional $113 million the franchise will pay Butler over the next two seasons.
“This is never an easy time of year when you have to do some of this stuff and make some of these moves,” Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said, with Butler — his former Chicago teammate — seated to his right. “But we’re in the business of winning and we made an acquisition of a guy sitting next to me who’s one of the best in the league, an elite two-way player and we’re thrilled to have him in the fold.”
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