Can rejuvenated Warriors claw their way back into top 6 playoff contention with Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry?

When the dust settled in the wake of the 2025 trade deadline, the Golden State Warriors came away with one of the biggest acquisitions across the league. Thanks to a complex five-team deal, Jimmy Butler was set to depart his estranged home of South Beach and join Steph Curry in the Bay Area.

Butler's arrival in Golden State is interesting, to say the least, as it has sizable pros and cons as far as the Warriors' hopes for top-6 playoff contention are concerned.

The numbers show that Butler can help the Warriors in two specific categories. To begin with, the six-time All-Star is proficient at drawing fouls and creating opportunities to get easy points at the charity stripe. Prior to getting traded to Golden State, Butler was tied for 14th among all players in free throw attempts.

Though this stat comes with the caveat of Butler having just played 25 games with the Miami Heat this season, his arrival in Golden State coincides with the team's improvement in this very category. Before Butler came to town, the Warriors were 27th in free throw attempts; at present, the team is now 23rd.

In addition, there is the phenomenon of "Playoff Jimmy." During the 2022-2023 season, Butler went from 22.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per regular season game to 26.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in the postseason. This boost in production can provide Curry some much-needed help if the Warriors were to make a playoff push this year.

The arrival of Curry's new running mate, however, came at a cost. The Butler deal involved the Warriors shipping away a scoring wing in Andrew Wiggins and a defensive wing in Kyle Anderson, as well as a veteran guard in Dennis Schroder. The significant alteration of the Warriors supporting cast poses the risk of sending team chemistry further into limbo, as the new rotations will take some time to jell.

If the Warriors (who are currently 28-27 in the standings) are to secure a top-6 spot in the Western Conference playoffs, it's clear that they'll have to lean heavily on the Curry-Butler tandem.

Analyst shares prediction for Golden State Warriors' postseason run

While some fans are holding out hope that the Warriors can go far in the 2025 playoffs, one ESPN analyst doesn't have an optimistic outlook for the team.

On Monday's edition of "NBA Today," Kendrick Perkins minced no words in his speculation on the Warriors' postseason run:

"The ceiling for this Golden State Warriors team this season is first round," Perkins predicted. "They are not beating the Nuggets, they are not beating OKC, they are not beating the Celtics, the Cavs, the Knicks. They are not beating a healthy Mavericks team."

Though the Warriors are just three years removed from their last title win, they have not made it back to the Western Conference Finals since then.