The Golden State Warriors, who have been in steady decay for the last two years, have some new life right now thanks to the recent trade that brought them veteran forward Jimmy Butler, a six-time All-Star.
They have won three of their first four games with Butler, and they head into the All-Star break with a 28-27 record, which puts them in 10th place in the Western Conference.
While no one is picking the Warriors to reach the NBA Finals this season, they do have some nice pieces around Butler and Stephen Curry, including Brandin Podziemski, their promising second-year shooting guard.
He was recorded making a full-court shot during practice, and the video of him doing so is going viral.
PODZ FROM FULL-COURT 🚨 😱 pic.twitter.com/6uAV22T1tI
— NBA (@NBA) February 14, 2025
After winning it all in 2022, the Warriors have been steadily declining, resulting in them missing the playoffs last season, and it looked like this season they would even miss the play-in tournament.
Now with Butler, they could turn into a team that no one will want to face in the play-in tournament or the playoffs.
He demanded a trade from the Miami Heat several weeks ago, and almost at the last minute, he got his wish while also agreeing to a contract extension with Golden State that runs through the 2026-27 season.
In four games with his new team, he’s averaging 21.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists a game, and during that span, Curry, whose numbers this season are below par for him, has put up 31.0 points a game.
Perhaps the full impact of Butler’s arrival in Golden State won’t be seen until next season when the team will have a full training camp with him.
NEXT: Warriors Are Using Interesting Technology In Practices
