The Golden State Warriors have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA since the trade deadline as they have climbed all the way to sixth in the Western Conference standings.
Of course, their addition of Jimmy Butler has been a major reason why as he has helped turn the Warriors' season around completely since arriving in The Bay.
Since the Warriors landed Butler from the Miami Heat at the trade deadline, Golden State has gone 14-2 in games that he has played in. That has allowed them to climb from 10th to sixth in the West standings and they look as though they are going to be a threat once the playoffs begin.
While Butler has worked out perfectly in Golden State, he was not the first star they tried to trade for this season.
It was reported that the Warriors tried to reunite with Kevin Durant by making a trade with the Phoenix Suns ahead of the deadline, but Durant shot the trade down, making Golden State pivot to adding Butler.
While this decision has been a great one thus far, Bill Simmons recently posed a question about whether Durant would have been able to do to the Warriors what Butler has done if they had landed him from Phoenix.
"I don't know if Durant, at this point in his career, would be able to do all the glue-guy stuff that Butler's doing," Simmons said. "I don't know if he's that kind of player anymore."
Bill Simmons doesn't know if KD would be able to do what Jimmy is doing in GS
"I don't know if Durant, at this point in his career, would be able to do all the glue-guy stuff that Butler's doing. I don't know if he's that kind of player anymore."
pic.twitter.com/7jtCzNgKKy
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 17, 2025
Simmons makes a great point as Butler has been able to excel on the Warriors without having to have the ball in his hands and instead allowing Stephen Curry to continue to be the team's main focus.
That might not have been the case if the Warriors had landed Durant as he is a more score-first player and also does not provide everything that Butler provides to a team.
Because of this, it is clear that the Warriors made the correct decision at the deadline in acquiring Butler as they look like a championship threat with the playoffs just around the corner.
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This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 6:45 PM.