Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is familiar with the emotions accompanying a return game, such as the one he’s heading into with forward Jimmy Butler against his former team, the Miami Heat. Warriors All-Star guard Stephen Curry reunited with his teammates on Monday with hopes of a potential return from his pelvic injury. And Butler’s return to South Beach is a motivating factor for Curry, according to Kerr.
Kerr says he will be on the floor alongside Butler amid his emotional return against the Heat; Curry hopes he’ll be able to take the floor, per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
“Steph feels an obligation always to be there for his teammates, regardless of the circumstances,” Kerr said. “He’s an amazing teammate, and he wants to get back as soon as possible mainly so we can win games and climb the latter in the playoff race. But no doubt he wants to be there for Jimmy, too. And it’s one of the things I love about Steph. He’s always there for his guys.”
Kerr dealt with a similar night for one of his players, former Warriors star Kevin Durant, who joined Golden State after eight seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Kerr reflected on the night Durant faced the Thunder for the first time since leaving for the Warriors in free agency.
“That was maybe the most emotional return game I’ve been a part of,” Kerr said. “It kind of got ugly, really. So, it was important for our guys to go to bat for Kevin, and they all did. And it was nice to get that behind us when it happened. Like I said, there’s going to be games like this in the NBA season because of the emotion involved in sports. So, you handle them when they come. You support your teammates, and then, you move forward.”
Steve Kerr believes part of Steph Curry’s motivation to get back for tomorrow night is the Jimmy Butler return to Miami factor
“No doubt he wants to be there for Jimmy.” pic.twitter.com/bSxcDGxtWU
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 24, 2025
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While Stephen Curry has rejoined his Warriors teammates on their six-game road trip, it’s unclear if he’ll be cleared to play in Tuesday’s matchup.
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Jimmy Butler’s blunt message to upset Heat fans for Warriors trade
Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) during the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Chase Center
John Hefti-Imagn Images
Warriors forward Jimmy Butler is OK with being a villain. Butler says he’s happy with his new team and has no regrets about his exit from the Heat, per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
“So you can be mad. You can paint a picture that is not entirely true. I don’t even need to get into that,” Butler said. “They know what they’re doing. You have to paint somebody to be the bad guy. I’ll take being a bad guy. Makes no difference. I’m here now.”
Butler and the Warriors will face the Heat on Tuesday.