There was a lot of chatter earlier this offseason about the possibility of the Golden State Warriors trading Jimmy Butler. While it may seem somewhat heartless to trade someone as he recovers from a major injury, the reality is the franchise had limited ways to improve the roster and his big salary may have had to be moved to swing a big trade.
Ultimately, that did not come to pass and we likely won't hear that chatter again until the trade deadline where there might be further speculation over the Warriors trying to land a star player.
Through all of this noise, Butler has maintained that he wants to stay with the Warriors. It seems genuine as there haven't been any of the problems that have popped up with other teams ever since he joined the Dubs.
He has seemed genuinely content to play second fiddle to Stephen Curry and try to help the team make a few playoff runs, but his ACL tear really threw a wrench into the team's plans.
Jimmy Butler's planned team meet up says everything about Warriors future
If anyone thought that Butler might take a different approach coming into the new season, or maybe be less of a leader on the team due to his injury, they were sorely mistaken because with reports thatButler is organizing a team meet-up in Southern California according to ESPN's Anthony Slater.
That is a very clear sign that he wants to remain heavily involved with the team. Many veterans in his position may choose to rehab away from the team and not show up until he is actually closer to playing or is obligated to show up.
Butler is taking the initiative and trying to build team chemistry just like he did last season. Obviously, the team had a disappointing season, but that had more to due with roster construction and injuries than it did chemistry.
Warriors should at least have good chemistry with a similar roster
The nice thing, or bad thing depending on how one looks at it, is that Golden State's team is quite similar to that of last season. At least they will have familiarity with one another even if the assembled talent on the roster won't blow anyone away.
Butler could still play an important role if the Warriors hang in there and are at least in playoff contention whenever he returns. If he can make an impact perhaps that will be enough for Golden State to at least be one of the top six seeds in the Western Conference and earn a seven-game playoff series.
No matter what though, it is nice that Butler is remaining involved. He is not going to pull a Brandon Aiyuk and ditch his team after his injury. The fact that he's planning another preseason meet-up shows he wants to remain with the Warriors.
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