The Golden State Warriors traded for Jimmy Butler last week, adding another superstar that they hope will maximize their remaining championship window with Stephen Curry. Though the trade has been successful through one week and Curry, Steve Kerr and Draymond Green have praised Butler's immediate impact, the trade also brought a sad realization for Curry and Green—the end is near.
On the most recent episode of The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis, Green recalled the bittersweet message Curry told him after they learned of the trade for Butler.
"Steph said to me in Utah after the trade, 'Man, It's crazy because it just dawned on me that, this is it," Green recalled. "This is the last ride."
"It's crazy because it just dawned on me like, this is it. This is the last ride."@money23green tells @barondavis how he and Steph reacted to the Jimmy Butler trade
— The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis (@DraymondShow) February 12, 2025
Full episode OUT NOW: https://t.co/OdGESJ2LSM pic.twitter.com/axXyMPosgE
Green more optimistically replied, "I said, 'let's do it.'"
The Warriors have been the most successful team in the NBA over the last decade, reaching six NBA Finals, setting the NBA's single-season wins record and winning four championships, most recently in 2022.
The reality of the Warriors' championship window closing started to become more apparent last offseason, when Klay Thompson departed for the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State's first loss among the three core players from their four recent championship teams. With Curry turning 37 and Green turning 35 in March, there may not be many more seasons left, at least with both players still performing well.
The good news is Curry and Green aren't planning their retirements just yet. Curry said as recently as Monday on NBA TV, "I hope I've got a lot more left."
Butler is also under contract for two more seasons with the Warriors after the 2024–25 campaign ends, giving the Warriors a decent window to try and go after another championship together before Curry and Green hang it up.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Draymond Green Reveals Sad Realization Steph Curry Had After Warriors' Jimmy Butler Trade.
