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Motivated than ever, Jimmy Butler eager to chase elusive title with the Golden State Warriors

Published February 7, 2025, 5:00 PM โ— Pao Ambat
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Jimmy Butler got his new team and a new contract extension the Miami Heat didn't give him. The only thing missing? An NBA title.

Can Jimmy Butlerโ€™s arrival turn the Golden State Warriorsโ€™ season? | Photo: Golden State Warriors

Asked whether he would fit alongside new teammates Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler kept his answer simple. 

"Pass the ball to Steph. And get out the way. Easy," Butler jokingly responded.

When you got the greatest shooter the game has ever seen on your team, why not make it complicated, right

For the first time in a while, Butler appeared in the public eye since the fallout of a near two-month saga with the Miami Heat as the Golden State Warriors introduced their newest member, Friday, February 7. 

โ€œI'm just so happy to be playing basketball again, honestly.All of that is behind me, moving forward. I'm happy to be wanted again," the 35-year-old said in the press conference.

Playing in his fifth team in his career, Butler is joining a team synonymous to winning in the last decade. 

More than ever, he is eager to chase the trophy that eluded him for the past 14 years. 

โ€œI would like to say that I am a winner,โ€ Butler said. โ€œI havenโ€™t won โ€˜itโ€™ but I would like to call myself a winner. I do want to win โ€˜itโ€™ โ€” it being a championship,โ€ Butler said. 

Butler also revealed will wear no. 10 for Golden State โ€” paying homage to Brazilian soccer star Neymar. 

โ€œI'm glad that I get the opportunity to get here and help get us to winning and do something special. I think that's why I'm here and I will do my best to do what everybody wants, and that's to win a championship,โ€ he added. 

The beginning of the end of Butler's time in Miami came when he implied he had no more โ€œjoyโ€ playing with the team which the Heat did not tolerate and suspended him for seven games and twice again.

[ALSO READ: Heat suspends Jimmy Butler for seven games, willing to 'listen to trade offers']

Despite the ugly end to his Heat career, Butler is grateful for the five and a half seasons he spent with the squad which he helped reach two NBA Finals in his tenure. 

โ€œThey gave me an opportunity, I felt like I did my job to the highest level. I have so much respect for that organization, for the people thatโ€™s running that organization and for my former teammates. Iโ€™ll always wish them the best,โ€ the season veteran spoke on the Heat. 

He added: โ€œI have a lot of love for a lot of people over there at that organization and I just want them to know Iโ€™m very grateful for the relationships that I have built and that I'll keep for a lifetime.โ€

Pairing an elite two-way player in Butler to Curry and Green is the Warriorsโ€™ front office answer in hopes of turning their tumultuous season around. 

โ€œTheyโ€™re always playing winning basketball. They'll do whatever it takes to win. They win on so many different levels. I think they can teach me a whole lot," the multiple-time All-Star said on having a chance to play along the Warrior greats.