Lacob acknowledges Warriors took initial ‘risk’ with Butler trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Joe Lacob recently acknowledged that the Warriors’ trade for six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler initially was risky – but undoubtedly worth it.
In an exclusive interview with The Athletic’s Sam Amick published on Monday, Golden State’s owner assessed how his franchise’s blockbuster deadline deal has paid off.
“Yeah, there were [concerns about Butler],” Lacob told Amick. “But you do your analysis, you make your choices, and, yeah, it was a little bit of a risk. But we’ve got to take risks in this life. And he’s worth every freaking penny. That’s all I can say. He’s fantastic.”
Butler was moved from Miami to San Francisco — as part of a multi-team trade which sent Warriors fan favorite Andrew Wiggins to South Beach — after publicly asking out of the Heat organization and serving team-issued suspensions.
Known for his love-me-or-hate-me personality, many were skeptical of the 35-year-old forward’s Warriors arrival, especially when Butler reportedly didn’t want to be dealt to Golden State and was reluctant to sign a contract extension there.
But that’s all old news. Butler has flourished in the Bay, and the Warriors find themselves in the Western Conference semifinals against his old team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, after defeating the Houston Rockets in a testy seven-game, first-round series.
“Sometimes you get them right,” Lacob told Amick with a laugh. “That’s all I can say.”
Including the NBA playoffs, the Warriors have won 27 of the 37 games Butler has played in. And he is coming off a seven-game series in which he averaged 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists, which is magnified considering the low-scoring, defensive-oriented nature of the postseason.
Sure, Butler was a risky acquisition on the surface, but Lacob evidently was right to trust his second-year general manager, Mike Dunleavy. The Warriors were an aging lottery team during the 2024-25 NBA season before Butler’s arrival; now, they’re an aging contender.
“It’s nice,” Lacob told Amick of beating the Rockets. “But we have 12 more [wins] to go. That’s all I can say. Four down, 12 to go.”
The Warriors’ trade for Butler might go down as one of the greatest deadline moves in NBA history if Golden State ends up winning its fifth championship in 11 seasons. And that feat surely is in Lacob’s plans.
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Lacob acknowledges Warriors took initial ‘risk’ with Butler trade
Joe Lacob recently acknowledged that the Warriors’ trade for six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler initially was risky – but undoubtedly worth it.
In an exclusive interview with The Athletic’s Sam Amick published on Monday, Golden State’s owner assessed how his franchise’s blockbuster deadline deal has paid off.
“Yeah, there were [concerns about Butler],” Lacob told Amick. “But you do your analysis, you make your choices, and, yeah, it was a little bit of a risk. But we’ve got to take risks in this life. And he’s worth every freaking penny. That’s all I can say. He’s fantastic.”
SIGN UP HERE Butler was moved from Miami to San Francisco — as part of a multi-team trade which sent Warriors fan favorite Andrew Wiggins to South Beach — after publicly asking out of the Heat organization and serving team-issued suspensions.
Known for his love-me-or-hate-me personality, many were skeptical of the 35-year-old forward’s Warriors arrival, especially when Butler reportedly didn’t want to be dealt to Golden State and was reluctant to sign a contract extension there.
But that’s all old news. Butler has flourished in the Bay, and the Warriors find themselves in the Western Conference semifinals against his old team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, after defeating the Houston Rockets in a testy seven-game, first-round series.
“Sometimes you get them right,” Lacob told Amick with a laugh. “That’s all I can say.”
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Including the NBA playoffs, the Warriors have won 27 of the 37 games Butler has played in. And he is coming off a seven-game series in which he averaged 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists, which is magnified considering the low-scoring, defensive-oriented nature of the postseason.
Sure, Butler was a risky acquisition on the surface, but Lacob evidently was right to trust his second-year general manager, Mike Dunleavy. The Warriors were an aging lottery team during the 2024-25 NBA season before Butler’s arrival; now, they’re an aging contender.
“It’s nice,” Lacob told Amick of beating the Rockets. “But we have 12 more [wins] to go. That’s all I can say. Four down, 12 to go.”
The Warriors’ trade for Butler might go down as one of the greatest deadline moves in NBA history if Golden State ends up winning its fifth championship in 11 seasons. And that feat surely is in Lacob’s plans.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast
