In just his second season as Warriors general manager, Mike Dunleavy took a massive gamble at the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline by acquiring six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler.
The early return has been positive, to say the least, as Butler single-handedly saved Golden State’s season as the team resurrected and rose to the playoffs. It was a move that will go down in the history books, at least according to Bob Myers, a man who knows a thing or two about championship basketball.
“I think it’s one of the best in-season trades in the history of the league,” Myers told The San Francisco Chronicle’s Ann Killion. “Credit Mike for seeing that because it’s his risk that he takes. Not just his, but when you make these decisions, it’s your name — your reputation — on the line.”
Myers was the general manager of Golden State for more than a decade and the orchestrator of the Warriors’ dynasty that brought four NBA championships to the Bay.
After he stepped down from his duties, Dunleavy took over, and the Warriors missed the playoffs in the first season of his tenure. Things weren’t looking good for the Warriors to start the 2024-25 season, either — until Butler arrived.
The Warriors skyrocketed the standings in a loaded Western Conference, finishing as the No. 7 playoff seed and currently in a first-round playoff series with the No. 3-seeded Houston Rockets.
“The Jimmy thing is a pivot point,” Myers told Killion. “That’s a signature deal that will go on Mike’s resume.”
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Finding Steph Curry a reliable second option has been the main priority since Klay Thompson’s departure. Andrew Wiggins was a two-way beast in spurts, but his availability began to teeter for a team working on a win-now timeline.
In 30 regular-season games with Golden State, Butler averaged 17.9 points on 47.6 percent shooting, with 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.7 steals in 32.7 minutes. More than anything, though, his presence helped relieve Curry while also making everyone around him better.
“With Jimmy, just — bam, right away it happened,” Myers told Killion. “If you hook up the people who made the decision to a lie detector. I think everybody would feel surprised at how well it’s worked.
“When you do these moves, you always think: What’s the best case? What’s the worst case? It’s usually somewhere in between. But this is the best-case scenario.”
Myers joked with Killion that Dunleavy likely will last longer as general manager than he did, attributing his early success to not only being a former player but also the son of an NBA coach.
“I think there’s a healthy disconnect you need to have, while balancing that with passion and intention,” Myers said. “He was reared in the NBA. He’s seen the highs and the lows, so he’s not going to get overly emotional. He knows too much.
“He puts the NBA in its proper place, and it makes him effective at what he does.”
No matter how this season ends, whenever that might be, it’s safe to say the Warriors’ trade for Butler will go down in the record books.
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