Jimmy Butler’s antics appear to be turning off some prospective suitors.
On the latest episode of his self-titled podcast for Yahoo! Sports, NBA writer Kevin O’Connor reported that Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry has some concerns about adding the Miami Heat star Butler to the locker room in a potential trade. O’Connor added that Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also shares those same concerns.
“My league sources say Stephen Curry specifically has concerns about Jimmy Butler’s fit in the Warriors locker room, and Steve Kerr shares those feelings,” said O’Connor. “So, Golden State’s indecision about trading for Butler seems to be largely tied to Steph and Kerr’s worries about the personality fit there.”
At 24-23 this season (11th in the West), the Warriors need a jolt, likely in the form of a dynamic win-now player. As such, they have been linked to Butler in trade rumors for months now. Golden State also has a contract to match Butler’s with in the form of Andrew Wiggins as well as some younger assets and players (such as Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski) to sweeten the pot further.
But Butler’s situation in Miami has quickly devolved into a clown show with the six-time All-Star recently being suspended by the Heat for the third time in less than a month. Butler also had similarly messy exits from his previous NBA teams (such as the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves), so the personality concerns are just a part of who he is at this point.
The Warriors already have one headache in their locker room in the form of Draymond Green, who at least has the advantages of seniority and strong chemistry and understanding with the likes of Curry and Kerr. With recent reports of a different All-Star trade target emerging on the Warriors’ radar, it looks like Golden State may be taking themselves out of the race for Butler ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
