There's no denying that the Golden State Warriors have looked like a much better side since the mid-season arrival of Jimmy Butler.
A testament to this fact is how the Warriors have gone 19-4 since Butler's blockbuster trade from the Miami Heat back in February.
Golden State veteran Draymond Green has had nothing but high praise for his new teammate, knowing full well what Butler brings to the table for the Warriors and their quest for a fifth championship.
At the same time, however, Green admits that it was heartbreaking for him and his family to see Andrew Wiggins get shipped off to Miami as part of the deal. Green got brutally honest about the Warriors' major roster move in a recent episode of his podcast, "The Draymond Green Show."
"It was weird," Green started. "You've gone to war with the guy for the last five years and won a championship, built the relationship. My kids cried when they found out Wiggs was gone because his kids and my kids have a great relationship."
Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
As Green said, Wiggins had been with Golden State for the past five years before he got traded to the Heat. During that time, he was able to build strong bonds with his teammates, and as Green explained, the same was the case for their families.
"There's just so much more than basketball there," Green continued. "To see a brother on the other side, it was definitely weird.
"... The love that's there is just bigger than a game. I'm happy to see him playing well [and] starting to find his footing because I think he got so much of his career left ahead of him."
"My kids cried when they found out Wiggs was gone"@Money23Green tells @BaronDavis about the conflicted feelings that came with playing against his former teammate Andrew Wiggins pic.twitter.com/H8RgzAIfLL
— The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis (@DraymondShow) April 2, 2025
Green has been around long enough to know full well that at the end of the day, the NBA is a business and that these types of trades are just part of the deal. Nevertheless, despite all his experience, the former Defensive Player of the Year still can't overlook the heartbreaking side in all this -- especially when it involves his family.
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This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 7:41 PM.