Why did Golden State Warriors trade for Jimmy Butler? Latest trade explored

Jimmy Butler is a Golden State Warrior. Not Kevin Durant, but Jimmy Butler, who, according to reports, was not keen on playing for the Bay Area side in the first place. Strange things have happened in the NBA before, and the six-time All-Star now teams up with four-time NBA champion Steph Curry to try to push the Warriors back into contention.

Butler's trade comes after weeks of drama with the Miami Heat, including multiple suspensions and ample media reportage about the souring relationship between the player and the front office. As for Golden State, the move comes as a win-now rather than looking long-term as they pair a veteran to assist another experienced campaigner in Curry.

The move involves sending Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson, and a protected first-round pick in exchange for Jimmy Butler. The advantages are obvious: experience, skill, and a clutch playoff performer. Now, the Warriors must wait and see how it all pans out.

At 25-24 and 10th in the West, the Warriors need some juice to contend, and in Butler, they have a gritty and proven star who, despite his injury issue,s has proved to be a force when healthy. While the trade certainly makes them playoff contenders, there have been landscape-altering trades in the West that only make progress in the conference that much harder.