Windhorst claims Warriors ‘going against the grain’ by adding Butler

Windhorst claims Warriors ‘going against the grain’ by adding Butler originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors appear to be going against recent NBA trends with their trade for Jimmy Butler.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst explained Friday on “SportsCenter” why the Butler trade was a move in the opposite direction of most NBA teams in terms of roster construction.

“Well, it’s interesting because if you look at the top teams in the league, the [Cleveland] Cavaliers, the [Boston] Celtics, the [Memphis] Grizzles and the [Oklahoma City] Thunder, they’re all very young teams,” Windhorst said.

“Their average ages are in their mid-20s. The Thunder are the youngest team in the league and they’re very deep. Then you look at the Warriors; they are getting older by the week. They swapped out Andrew Wiggins for Jimmy Butler. They’re leaning into guys in their mid-30s. Now, they do have a deep roster, but it wasn’t deep enough to keep them [in playoff contention] before this deal.”

In recent years, NBA franchises have focused on putting together young, talented rosters instead of chasing after older veterans. Given the new salary cap rules, it’s more ideal to stockpile younger players on cheaper contracts.

For Windhorst, the Warriors are the exception to this; instead, they are banking on an established superstar like Butler to fix their offensive and defensive woes.

“I do think Jimmy Butler fits in nicely with what they needed,” Windhorst added. “They needed a guy to balance out Steph [Curry] both when he’s on the bench and on the court with interior and exterior scoring. Plus, Jimmy plays both ends of the court, so there is a good fit there.

“But they are going definitely against the grain in the league, — which is younger, deeper and playing for the long haul — with Draymond Green, Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler: mid-30s, expensive and not as spry as they once were.”

However, the Warriors did end up holding on to younger players like Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, and Trayce Jackson-Davis at the deadline. There were other options during the frenzied deadline finale, but it was clear that Golden State needed another impact player who could take over in crunch time, and Butler fit the bill.

While there certainly are durability concerns due to their age, Green, Curry and Butler know what it takes to perform at a high level during the playoffs.

So far, the results are encouraging, as Golden State is 3-1 since the trade.

Now, with the second half of the NBA season underway, the Warriors will have a chance to prove Windhorst and the pundits wrong.

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