Jimmy Butler urgently needed to get out of Miami, and the Golden State Warriors were urgently in need of a true co-star for Stephen Curry as they suddenly realized what year was on his birth certificate.
The two sides came within a few inches of a Finals meeting in 2022, when Butler’s Game 7 pull-up 3 came up short, only to set the stage for Curry to have his shining moment against the Boston Celtics two weeks later.
Three seasons later they join together, a marriage based on need as much as desperation. Butler wanted to be validated by way of location and contract, which he received in the form of a two-year extension worth $121 million after his relationship with the Miami Heat went sour.