Jimmy Butler has completely revamped the Golden State Warriors over the past six weeks, turning the franchise on its head from a .500 team to one that's now generating championship discussion.
The 6x All-Star has had a monumental impact, with that signified on Tuesday night as he led a Stephen Curry-less Warriors to a big 104-93 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Many (including this writer) were skeptical of Butler's fit with Golden State, but history suggests we shouldn't be surprised by just how well this has gone so far.
The Warriors should already be planning life after Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler
Butler not only has a proven track record of making teams better, but his former teams also generally see a major skid following his departure. It's something The Ringer's Chris Vernon referred to in a recent episode of The Mismatch podcast.
“I don't know what more you can do to prove how much you matter than when you come, the team becomes good, and when you leave, the team becomes terrible," Vernon said. “It's happened his whole career. It's crazy, and it's happening again, and the Heat have gone to absolute hell, and the Warriors are 14-2 (now 15-2) with him.”
The Chicago Bulls were already in a good spot prior to drafting Butler with the 30th overall pick in the 2011, but they immediately fell from eighth in the Eastern Conference to 13th in the season after he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves won 31 games in the year before Butler's arrival, yet that spiked to 47 in his lone full season with the franchise. Minnesota then spent years rebuilding following Butler's tumultuous ending, winning 36, 19 and 23 games in the next three seasons.
The Philadelphia 76ers were already on the up when Butler arrived, only for their winning percentage to fall following his departure. After pushing the Toronto Raptors to a legendary seven-game second-round series with Butler, the 76ers were rolled in a first-round sweep by the Boston Celtics the following year.
After finishing 10th in the 2018-19 season, Butler sensationally lifted the Miami Heat to the 2020 NBA Finals in his first season. It was the first of two extraordinary trips to the Finals during his time in South Beach, but the Heat are now in a world of hurt after last month's trade. Following Cade Cunningham's game-winning three on Wednesday night, Miami is now 4-16 since the trade and have fallen to 10th in the East.
So not only does Golden State need to enjoy the fruits of what Butler is providing them right now, but they need to ensure they avoid the nightmare that teams tend to endure when he leaves. Fortunately the Warriors would already be considering this timeline, with Butler's end date likely to be at a similar time as fellow veterans in Curry and Draymond Green.