The Warriors were desperate. There were jokes (rightfully) made about their myriad failures to acquire another star. And Jimmy Butler could turn out to be a complete and utter disaster.
But they took a swing that did not mortgage their future. In fact, it put a near-exact date on when that future will begin; July 1, 2027.
That's the start of NBA free agency, when Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler's contracts are off the books and free agency begins. The only player with a contract beyond that is the always-tradeable Buddy Hield, with a $10 million player option. Besides him? Clean slate.
Was it worth it? Absolutely.
The NBA is an entertainment product. The Warriors were not entertaining, unless you enjoyed the self-flagellating masochism of their fourth-quarter collapses.
They were droll, painful, constantly playing games with an undermanned roster that lost in ways — usually in the final few minutes — that were exceedingly predictable. It visibly wore on Curry. And while he and Steve Kerr and the front office all said that they would not throw away their future, there was a desperation to do something.
The desire to ward off the existential dread of this season should not be underestimated as a motivator of this move. It was a decision in staunch resistance to apathy. It is a trade to feel something, anything, in a season that felt like a year in purgatory. And it provides a three-man core in Curry, Green and Butler that you can work a roster around in the next two years.
So... Butler. Will he fix them? No. Will he make them more competitive? Yes. Will he make them more entertaining (even if it's off the court more than on)? Absolutely.
He didn't come cheap, but he wasn't that expensive, either. It's a reflection of the fact that at 35 years old, despite almost singlehandedly carrying the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances, Butler's age, injury woes and battles with Miami's front office dented his value.
He cost them first-round draft capital (top-10 protected this and next year, then unprotected the following year), and, for all intents and purposes, Andrew Wiggins, plus the sunk cost of Dennis Schroder (which cost the Warriors De'Anthony Melton's expiring contract, Reece Beekman and three second-round draft picks).
In total, the Warriors acquired Butler at a cost of Wiggins, Schroder, Beekman, Kyle Anderson, Lindy Waters III, a top-10-protected first-round pick (likely to convey this year), and three second-round picks.
If the options are to be mediocre, and suffer through a meaningless slog for another four-plus months or, to trade that group for a bona fide All-Star who can and should elevate you, there's only one choice. And the Warriors made it.