NBA Insider Says Jimmy Butler Has Found "Joy" With Golden State Warriors

Bryan Townes | 15 Hours Ago

Mar 15, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) drives to the net against the New York Knicks during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Before requesting a trade from the Miami Heat after six seasons, Jimmy Butler said he lost his joy of playing basketball with them.

He's now playing for the Golden State Warriors, where he completely transformed the team. The Warriors were struggling to get out of the Play-In Tournament.

The Warriors have gone 14-1 since the trade. Butler is averaging 16.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists on 44.2 percent shooting and 22.2 percent from three-point range.

"I think Jimmy Butler found his joy. The Warriors are playing like they really love each other... I think this team is serious. They have a chance to make a deep run in these playoffs." @ShamsCharania joined the Pat McAfee show and became the latest in national media to declare… pic.twitter.com/Jaxs5DBcOi

— KNBR (@KNBR) March 14, 2025

During an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, ESPN NBA Insider Shams Charania explained how connected the Warriors have been since Butler arrived.

“I think you’re seeing how that looks on the floor,” Charania said. “You’re seeing these guys smiling, you’re seeing them laughing, and you’re seeing them really come together as a group, and it’s translated on the court. What word did Jimmy Butler use when he was trying to get out of Miami? He used the word ‘joy.’ I think his joy is back now in Golden State.”

NBA CHAMPION THROWS SHADE AT PAT RILEY’S PUBLIC DISMISSAL OF JIMMY BUTLER

In his decorated career, Pat Riley has significantly contributed to the success of many franchises, especially the Miami Heat.

For better or for worse, Riley has continuously operated in his ways and expected everyone to follow his ways. Many Heat players found this out the hard way, as their disagreements with Riley’s style and expectations led to punishments within the team or their exit from the team.

Jimmy Butler is the latest star player to end his partnership with the Heat, but not before plenty of drama has piled on to the difficult transition. Before the suspensions, much of their disagreements happened because of Butler’s missed games throughout his tenure, leading to consecutive berths in the Play-In Tournament.

On the Run It Back show on Fanduel TV, Antoine Walker explained there were signs the Heat would move away from Butler before the drama insisted.

“I love Pat,” Walker said. “I mean, he’s a disciplinarian. He likes to do things his way. And one thing about Pat, if you look at the trend and you guys follow, when he’s kinda done with you, he does it publicly. I mean, this is even back dating to D-Wade, Shaq, Jimmy, and myself. I mean, it never stays in-house, and he just makes the move, and he kinda does it publicly. I didn’t like the Jimmy situation because you shouldn’t have to start fining guys for their money and taking their money away like that. I think if you wanna part ways and move him, there’s ways you can do that.”

NBA INSIDER REVEALS JIMMY BUTLER NO LONGER FELT “WANTED” BY MIAMI HEAT

Nobody could ever take away the amount of success Jimmy Butler had with the Miami Heat for six seasons.

Butler had the best basketball stretch of his career by leading the Heat to a number one seed in the Eastern Conference, two Conference Finals appearances, and three Finals appearances.

However, the end of their partnership didn’t go the way either side wanted. Above everything else, Butler has always valued a team fully supporting him and his ability to lead teams to success as one of their top options. Each time a team seemed prepared to move away from him, a new destination was always near. This was shown when Butler eliminated the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2022 playoffs and relayed his famous “Tobias Harris over me?” quote.

It also became apparent at the end of his tenure with the Heat, as they seemed prepared to build around their younger All-Stars, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. Marc Spears from Andscape elaborated on Butler’s thoughts on the Heat planning their future without him before his trade to the Golden State Warriors.

“Butler wanted to be traded because he felt the Heat were moving in a direction without him in mind, and he wanted to be more valued, sources said,” Spears explained. “The four-time NBA All-Star ended up asking for a trade from the Heat in his seventh season with the franchise.”

Butler explained being wanted is the most significant factor he always looks for in a team he plays for, and the Warriors displayed this trait.

“I saw a group that wanted me to be a part of it,” Butler said. “That's all you ever wanted to be is wanted in this life, not just in this league. In anything, you want to be wanted. Needed is like a necessity. Wanted is like somebody’s choosing to bring you aboard this. I think that’s the ultimate sign of respect.”

Bryan Townes is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at btownesjr@gmail.com or on X @bryantownesjr11. Follow our coverage on Facebook