Dunleavy shares how Butler-to-Warriors went from concept to reality

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Dunleavy shares how Butler-to-Warriors went from concept to reality originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Jimmy Butler III’s path from the Miami Heat to the Golden State Warriors wasn’t paved in a few days or weeks or months. It was a concept born in the recesses of Mike Dunleavy’s mind since 2018, when the Warriors hired him as a scout.

It took more than six years and two Dunleavy promotions – lastly to general manager in June 2023 – for his thought bubble to become a reality on Feb. 6.

“I think (it goes back to) whenever I started employment with the Warriors,” Dunleavy said on the “Dubs Talk” podcast. “We look back how long that span was. It always felt like Jimmy would be a great add. As recently as last summer, I’ve been knocking on that door and things evolved there in Miami with him and his contract and looking to go elsewhere.

“So fortunately for us, you know, right time, right place. And we were able to make the deal.”

With the NBA trade deadline looming and the Warriors gasping for air in the unforgiving Western Conference, Dunleavy and Golden State CEO Joe Lacob were determined to make a seismic move. They considered Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vučević. They inquired with the Phoenix Suns about Kevin Durant. There were other feelers that went nowhere.

When no deal materialized, Dunleavy, Lacob and their front office cohorts checked in with veterans Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, as well as coach Steve Kerr. There were enough thumbs going up to pivot to Butler and intensify negotiations.

“First and foremost, we had to get better,” Dunleavy said. “We had to get better on the basketball court. But we needed to get better, emotionally. We’d lost our way.

“And to be able to accomplish those two things, there’s not many players out there that can do that. And I felt like Jimmy was one of those guys. It’s tough in this league to make trades because there’s very few really good players that are available. And in this case, Jimmy was. We know about the stuff in Miami, but because of that he was a player we could trade for.”

The five-year…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/dunleavy-shares-butler-warriors-went-071808533.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2025-03-05 07:18:00

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