Steve Kerr’s face conveyed sheer exasperation. The Warriors coach could not conceal his displeasure, with only its source in question.
Was it because he’d seen the Warriors, only minutes earlier Wednesday night, blow an 11-point lead in the final three minutes to smack themselves with a 131-128 loss to the clearly rebuilding Utah Jazz?
Or was it because less than two hours before tipoff in Salt Lake City, he was told four of his players who had warmed up to face the Jazz were being traded for disgruntled Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler?
And he had to gather the team and deliver the news to a shaken locker room.
“I think the league should consider making the trade deadline at the All-Star break,” Kerr told reporters at Delta Center. “So, you don’t have to face these games where guys are getting traded a half hour before the game and trying to process the emotions and trying to win a game.”
Kerr had to say goodbye to one his favorite players, Andrew Wiggins, who played huge role in Golden State’s 2022 NBA Finals triumph. The coach also had to send away Dennis Schröder, a Warrior for only seven weeks. Kyle Anderson and Lindy Waters III, both acquired last summer, also would be leaving. The Warriors were being remodeled.
And Butler, a terrific player when with a checkered past who has missed 30 percent of Miami’s games since 2021, would be at the center of the Golden State remodel.
The trade was a surprise to many around the NBA, and most found that I contacted were either puzzled or skeptical or unimpressed with the Warriors’ decision.
Moreover, there surely are some within Golden State’s circle who have mixed feelings. There had been considerable debate within the organization about the pros and cons of partnering with such capricious personality as Butler. And only a few days had passed since Butler expressed reluctance about hitching himself to the Warriors.
Both sides had a change of heart that culminated in the decision to indeed get married.
Butler not only overcame his initial hesitation to come to the Bay but removed a previous sticking point by agreeing to a two-year contract extension that takes him through the 2026-27 NBA season. That aligns him with precisely with the one-year extension signed last August by franchise player Stephen Curry.
Curry, who rolls with the punches as well as anyone on earth, exuded tempered optimism about the new union.
“We know who Jimmy is,” he told reporters in Utah. “Been to two Finals. He’s a winner. I understand there was a lot of drama [in Miami], and who really knows what the story is? We expect to have a motivated, committed Jimmy that’s ready to impact our team for the better.
“We’ve got to work out the kinks of what it looks like and I’m excited to get to work and kind of feed off the energy of something new. He’s somebody that’s obviously had experience at the highest levels. He has a lot to prove in a new situation, and we’re going to try to help each other do that.”
Curry is among the decorated Warriors who are uncomfortable with the team’s status. Since posting a 12-3 record over the 15 games, they are 13-22. They have won consecutive games only three times since Thanksgiving and have not won three in a row since mid-November. They’ve been staggering through the schedule and getting knocked cold with far too much regularity.
They had to do something, despite Kerr and Curry and Draymond Green all indicating they’d rather the front office avoid a reckless decision – particularly if it impacted the future.
The front office, led by CEO Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy, made a decision that is fraught with risk.
Though Wiggins is a massive loss, as his two-way impact was critical to chances of success, the front office did not, however, part with anyone from the Under-25 Club. Jonathan Kuminga, the subject of inquiry from several teams, remains with the Warriors. So do Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce-Jackson Davis – at least through late Wednesday night.
What does Butler, at his best, bring? A dude who walks into the locker room with considerable hoops credibility. He’s 35 and not as durable as he once was, nor is he the All-Defensive team beast he was five times, most recently in 2020-21. But he is one of the league’s best postseason performers.
“The biggest thing is it creates expectations, which I love,” Curry said of Butler’s anticipated impact. “I want to be in that kind of environment that, whether you get it done or not, is meaningful basketball that we all love and thrive in. I think we’re all going to be up for the challenge.”
Butler himself is quite the challenge. If he remains true to his pattern, he’ll be fantastic during the honeymoon period and become increasingly obstinate in time. His breakups, and there were three before the Heat, tend to be ugly.
The Warriors, by making this gamble, are not peeping too far into the future. They’re focusing on the immediate, with fingers crossed. As they should be.