Jimmy Butler's debut shows why Golden State might be contenders after all

At long last, the Jimmy Butler saga came to an end right before the trade deadline with the six-time All-Star getting dealt to the Golden State Warriors. At first glance, this deal was rather underwhelming, as Butler prioritized getting traded to the Phoenix Suns, and the Warriors were hoping to land Kevin Durant.

Neither side had this marriage as its first choice, but, out of sheer desperation from both sides, they made it happen. Butler even signed a massive two-year extension to remain in Golden State immediately after getting traded.

At the very least, Butler got himself paid and the Warriors got Stephen Curry some help, while not having to mortgage their future to get it. Butler's debut with the team, however, showed that there might be more upside with this partnership than initially thought.

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Jimmy Butler's Warriors debut showed Golden State might be better than initially thought

Had this been a couple of years ago, the Warriors acquiring Butler would've made them immediate NBA title contenders. In 2025, though, Butler hasn't looked like the player who carried the Miami Heat to two NBA Finals appearances. That changed on Saturday, as Butler had an excellent showing in his Warriors debut.

The 35-year-old made seven of his 12 field goal attempts and was as aggressive as we've seen him in quite some time attacking the basket, as he wound up shooting 13 free throws, making 11 of them.

Butler scored 25 points while also tacking on four assists, one steal, and one block in 29 minutes of action in a dominant Warriors win. Sure, it was only the Chicago Bulls, but still — Butler putting up this kind of performance in his first game with his new team with no practice time under his belt is impressive and could be a sign of what's to come.

Butler was in the midst of an incredibly underwhelming season with the Heat, averaging just 17 points per game (lowest since the 2013-14 season) in just 25 games played. Some of his struggles were obviously due to his desire to leave Miami, but still — he didn't look like a player who'd play an instrumental role on a title contender.

I'm not here to proclaim the Warriors as legitimate title contenders — at least not yet — but we've seen what a motivated and healthy Butler can do with even less than what the Warriors have around him right now. The road ahead will be a tough one for Golden State, obviously, but a duo consisting of Stephen Curry and a healthy and motivated Butler has the potential to be a fun one, as Curry noted in his postgame presser, especially with their differing styles of play.

With road tilts against quality opponents like the Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks, and Houston Rockets next up, it'll be interesting to see just how well this group meshes. If Saturday's game was any indication, the Warriors could be on the upswing, and the Curry/Butler duo might have an outside chance of doing something special after all.