Report: Draymond had blunt trade deadline request for Warriors

Report: Draymond had blunt trade deadline request for Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Draymond Green made it crystal clear what he wanted the Warriors to do before the NBA’s Feb. 6 trade deadline.

With a middling Golden State team in desperate need of a boost, the veteran forward went to the front office with one simple request, The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II and Sam Amick reported Monday.

And he did not mince words.

“Before Butler arrived, Green had a standing request of the team’s front office that he deemed vital to their renaissance: Go get another “a–hole,” as one team source described it,” Thompson and Amick wrote. “Another fiery, two-way talent like him who would say what needed to be said at all times and compete on the knife’s edge on both ends of the floor.”

And in came Jimmy Butler, a fiery two-way forward who many believe fits Green’s NSFW description to a tee. In a good way.

The Warriors are 5-1 since Butler’s arrival, which includes a 126-102 thumping of the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday at Chase Center, securing the team’s first three-game winning streak since mid-November.

Butler’s fit with the Warriors has been seamless, not only because of his fire, but because of his natural playmaking ability and intelligence on the court.

“Honestly — in the most humble way possible — I’m a good fit everywhere,” Butler told The Athletic. “I am because I’m going to play basketball the right way. I’m going to play my game. A lot of people here shoot a ton of 3s. You don’t see me out there shooting a ton of 3s.

“I’m going to do what I do because what I do helps teams win. I’m gonna guard, gonna get some steals, get to the free-throw line, and I’m gonna hit the open guy 10 out of 10 times. And I think that’s why it works here. The only thing (about his new situation) is wanting to be wanted. I’m wanted here. I’m good with that. And this is where I want to be. Real s—.”

While it still is early, Butler has fit in well with the Warriors, who are firing on all cylinders heading into the stretch run of the 2024-25 NBA regular season.

And it appears Green got his wish.

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