It’s safe to say that Jimmy Butler doesn’t have any regrets about forcing his way out of Miami last season, despite the dysfunction he caused before ultimately being traded to the Golden State Warriors.
“All that noise, all that chaos paid off in a major way,” he told Ann Killion of the San Francisco Chronicle. “I’m lucky to be part of this phenomenal organization.”
“Everywhere starts off great, but then you know someone has to be the bad guy, and it gets to be me,” he added. “I’m always the one doing something unbearable all of a sudden. … But that’s okay. I get to play in this wonderful league, with amazing teammates. But being here, they’ve only got one goal. To keep hanging those [championship banners] up on the wall. Ain’t no hidden agendas.”
Granted, it was Butler who missed a team flight last year after demanding a trade. It was also Butler who walked out of a practice after learning he wouldn’t be used as a starter, earning a third in-season suspension from the Heat. It was Butler who made public comments saying he wanted to get his “joy back” by playing elsewhere.
It put his teammates and coaches in a difficult situation for a large chunk of the season, but Butler ultimately got his way, so all’s well that ends well in his world.
And his time with the Warriors got off to a promising start last year, with Butler fitting nicely next to Stephen Curry. In his own words, of course, “everywhere starts off great,” but the early returns of Butler’s time in the Bay Area have been positive.
“He’s been an absolute dream to coach,” Steve Kerr told Killion. “Easy to talk to, easy to collaborate with, smart, tough.”
Part of that has been Butler’s willingness to acknowledge that Curry “is the man.”
“I have no ego. I’m not the number one option, I’m great with that—I know my role,” he said. “I know who I am as a person. I know who I am as a basketball player, as a businessman. I know my role. What do y’all need me to do? [Draymond Green], Steph, Steve—what do you need me to do? That’s part of being a vet. That’s part of winning. But more importantly that’s part of knowing that ego gets you nowhere. Ego is the enemy.”
