Stephen Curry gets much needed wake-up call with blockbuster Warriors trade

As the Golden State Warriors have rattled off back-to-back wins against the Chicago Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks, star guard Stephen Curry has re-emerged at perhaps the most pivotal time in the team's entire season.

Between the two games on Saturday and Monday, Curry amassed 72 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists while shooting 43.7% from the 3-point line.

Jimmy Butler has given Stephen Curry much needed wake-up call

The Warriors seem re-invigorated following the trade deadline, and Curry's enhanced performance is a large reason why. After striking out on Zach LaVine and Kevin Durant, the Warriors pivoted to a blockbuster trade for Jimmy Butler, who had become disgruntled with the Miami Heat over his contract situation.

The Warriors, contrary to rumors that spread prior to the trade deadline, immediately offered Butler a two-year contract extension, cementing his place with the franchise for presumably the rest of the Curry timeline.

Butler's skill-set has immediately impacted the Warriors' offense. His ability to drive to the rim and draw contact has created both more opportunities at the free-throw line and more spacing overall for Golden State.

With a plethora of one-dimensional shooters, such as Buddy Hield and Moses Moody, the Warriors have benefitted immensely from this extra space. Yet no one has seemed more in step than Curry, whose two monster offensive nights serve as the culmination of a relatively inconsistent season for the perennial All-Star.

Curry is averaging just 23.3 points this season, his lowest mark since the 2012-13 season. He has struggled with nagging injuries to his knees, resulting in a handful of games in which he has played but disappeared almost entirely from the offense.

However, as the Warriors are no longer wholly dependent on Curry to create offense for the team, their star player has flourished. Now 27-26, the Warriors are rising in the Western Conference and hopefully out of the mediocrity that has defined their season to this point. While trading for Butler may not have been the ideal move for the Warriors, their roster needed a shake-up and Butler has clearly provided that.

He also, evidently, has provided a wake-up call for Curry, who is back in prime shooting form and seems as motivated as ever to push the Warriors back into contention. Butler seems to enjoy playing with Golden State and has gelled well with his teammates thus far.

As Curry enters the twilight of his career, complacency was not an option for the Warriors, and so far their blockbuster trade has paid massive dividends.