Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler, who will be wearing No. 10 with his new team, shouted out some current and former soccer and basketball legends who have adorned the number on Saturday.

Athletes in the picture included some soccer stars like Lionel Messi, Neymar and Ronaldinho, as well as Warriors great Tim Hardaway Jr.

The image also includes Butler's first cousin, Marqueese Grayson, who played ball at Central Oklahoma. Butler shouted Grayson out (as well as his good friend, Neymar) when giving reasons why he chose No. 10.

Butler, who is playing in his 14th NBA season, suited up for the Miami Heat for five-plus seasons before they traded him to the Golden State Warriors following a difficult and drawn-out ending to his tenure.

Now Butler gets a fresh start on a team that sorely needs reinforcements. The 25-26 Warriors enter Saturday tied for 10th in the Western Conference, the last spot in the play-in tournament field. Butler could help rejuvenate the Warriors and provide much-needed help on both ends.

He'll immediately become the second option in Golden State. The six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA player was having a relatively quiet year by his standards (17.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.8 APG), but a change of scenery could be the motivation needed to restore his vintage form.

At his best, Butler is a fantastic player and a pest on both ends, and he also has a way of turning it up in the playoffs. Golden State has to get there first, though, and Butler will hope to make a good debut on Saturday when the Warriors visit his first-ever NBA team, the Chicago Bulls.

Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski is hitting the court for the 2025 NBA Rising Stars Game at All-Star weekend in San Francisco.

The league announced that the second-year Warrior will serve as an injury replacement for Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace. Podziemski will be on Team T, which is being coached by Warriors icon Tim Hardaway.

Wallace is missing the game due to a right shoulder strain.

Podziemski is averaging 9.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 38 games for Golden State so far this season. He has served in a bench role, making 10 starts and averaging 24.7 minutes per night.

Team T will consist of Podziemski, Anthony Black, Tristan da Silva, Gradey Dick, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr.

The other teams consisting of NBA players will be coached by Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond. The G-League representatives will be coached by Jeremy Lin.

The four teams will square off in a bracket-style tournament, with the winner advancing to the new All-Star Game tournament on Sunday.

The 2025 NBA Rising Stars Challenge is set for Feb. 14 at 9 p.m. ET.

Jimmy Butler's debut with the Golden State Warriors will come against a familiar foe.

The team announced that Butler will make his first appearance for the Warriors on Saturday night against the Chicago Bulls. Butler spent the first six seasons of his career in the Windy City.

Golden State acquired Butler Wednesday night from the Miami Heat in exchange for Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and a first-round pick, while Dennis Schröder went to the Utah Jazz and was ultimately rerouted to the Detroit Pistons. As part of the agreement, Butler landed a two-year, $111 million extension with the Warriors.

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

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Jimmy Butler's long and messy divorce with the Miami Heat is finally over after his old team traded the six-time NBA All-Star to the Golden State Warriors.

It's been made clear how Miami felt about Butler in the closing days, but the flip side hasn't been told.

In regards to that, Butler had some things to say to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst.

"Read whatever you want to read, believe what you want to believe, but you're not around me every day," Butler told ESPN. "There's always two sides of every story and only one side's been told."

Butler was then asked when he would tell his side of the story.

"I doubt I will," Butler said. "But if I do tell it, I'm going to tell it to Shaq."

We'll see if Butler sits down with the Basketball Hall of Famer and Inside the NBA analyst down the road, but for now, the 35-year-old can enjoy a fresh start in San Francisco.

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

For more from Bleacher Report on this topic and from around the sports world, check out our B/R app, homepage and social feeds—including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Kevin Durant reportedly discussed a potential reunion with the Golden State Warriors on the trade market with Stephen Curry before turning down the change of scenery.

According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst, Durant and Curry discussed teaming up on Feb. 1 after the Warriors were "deep into negotiations" with the Phoenix Suns involving the star forward.

"Durant told him that it didn't 'feel right' and that this 'wasn't the time' to revisit their basketball partnership, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the conversations," Shelburne and Windhorst wrote. "That he was happy in Phoenix and wasn't looking to play elsewhere."

The Suns ultimately retained Durant through Thursday's trade deadline.

As for the Warriors, they quickly pivoted after missing out on the 15-time All-Star.

Golden State acquired Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat in a massive five-team trade on Wednesday.

The Warriors subsequently handed Butler a new two-year extension worth $121 million, keeping him with the team through the 2026-27 season.

Windhorst and ESPN's Shams Charania reported that an initial deal was discussed involving Butler landing in Phoenix and Durant coming to Golden State before the former MVP informed the Suns that he didn't want to return to his old stomping grounds.

Curry and Durant were dominant throughout their three-year partnership on the Warriors from the 2016-17 season through the 2018-19 season. They made NBA Finals appearances in every year as teammates, winning two championships before Durant left to join the Brooklyn Nets in 2019.

While Curry and Durant have remained two of the NBA's top offensive players, the struggles of their respective teams to open the 2024-25 season resulted in the reunion proposal.

Curry is averaging 22.7 points and 6.1 assists per game while hitting 38.9 percent of his 10.9 three-point attempts each night, but Golden State owns a mere 25-26 record.

Durant's average of 26.9 points per game ranks No. 6 in the NBA and he's continued to operate as an efficient three-level scorer, shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from behind the arc.

Phoenix only sits at No. 9 in the Western Conference standings with a 25-25 record, though.

While a trade to reunite the two stars on the Warriors would have sent shockwaves throughout the NBA, Durant reportedly told Curry that he wanted to stay put on the Suns.

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green wasn't concerned about Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant reportedly turning down the chance at a reunion in the Bay Area.

"Didn't affect my life one bit," Green told Sportskeeda's Mark Medina.

"Why would it? I don't concern myself with guys who aren't here," he added.

Anthony Slater and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that the Warriors were interested in trading for Durant before Thursday's deadline, but they moved on from the pursuit after the former MVP was "cold to the idea" of reuniting with Golden State.

Green and Durant were teammates for three years from the 2016-17 season through the 2018-19 season. They experienced immense success together, making three NBA Finals appearances and winning two championships.

The pair had a heated verbal altercation on the Warriors during Durant's final year in Golden State before he left to join the Brooklyn Nets, but there doesn't appear to be any lingering animosity between the two.

The Warriors remained active on the trade market after failing to land Durant, acquiring six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat in a massive five-team deal. Golden State sent out a package headlined by Andrew Wiggins in return.

Green was excited to get to work with Butler.

"When you walk on the court and you look on the other end and you see guys that you respect, half the battle is fought," Green said, per Medina. "And with Jimmy, that's half the battle. So that's going to be fun because we can compete at the highest level."

The Warriors have struggled since opening their 2024-25 campaign with a 12-3 record, currently sitting at 25-26. They own the No. 11 seed in the Western Conference standings.

In 37 appearances this season, Green is averaging 8.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 42.1 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from three-point territory.

The former Defensive Player of the Year didn't care about Durant reportedly turning down a reunion, looking forward to playing alongside Butler instead.

After a dramatic final month with the Miami Heat, Jimmy Butler is finally with a new team.

The six-time All-Star was traded to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, signing a two-year, $111 million deal shortly after joining the team.

When asked why Butler wanted out of Miami, he couldn't put his finger on it, but explained that a lack of communication was part of his desire to leave.

"That's a good question. I don't know," Butler told reporters on Thursday. "There was a lot of talking back and forth and sooner or later the talking has to stop."

"I know I have my joy back," Butler added.

Butler's final days with Miami featured three different suspensions, mainly due to "conduct detrimental to the team." Butler is ready to put the suspensions behind him now with his new team.

"I'm very, very happy that I'm not getting suspended no more," Butler told reporters.

With Golden State, he'll get to play alongside the greatest shooter in NBA history in Stephen Curry. His game plan with his new teammate is simple.

"Pass the ball to Steph and get out the way," he said.

Butler also had a message for Warriors fans on Thursday:

The Warriors gave up Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schröder, Kyle Anderson, Lindy Waters III and a top-10-protected first-round pick for Butler. Wiggins, Anderson and the draft pick went to Miami, Schröder went to the Utah Jazz and Waters landed on the Detroit Pistons in the five-team deal.

That's a somewhat significant haul for an aging star, but the Warriors appear confident the 35-year-old Butler can help them solve their woes this season. Butler, who spent six seasons in Miami, has struggled a bit this year, averaging just 17 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists. His scoring average is his lowest since the 2013-14 season.

As Butler mentioned, he lost his joy on the court in Miami but has it back now with the Warriors. Perhaps having his joy back will elevate his game some.

The Warriors will need Butler to step up if they want to get into championship form. Golden State is currently in 11th place in the Western Conference at 25-25 and is threatening to miss the postseason entirely if it can't turn things around.

It might take some time for Butler to get integrated into the Warriors' offense, but he has a history of winning everywhere he's been and that's unlikely to change now that he's with Golden State.

The Golden State Warriors "made another run" at Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vučević but were unable to finalize a trade ahead of Thursday's deadline, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

According to Stein, "talks fizzled as the teams could not agree on a trade construction."

Vučević said Wednesday he would be "happy" to stay with the Bulls, per Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune.

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network meanwhile reported that the Bulls' deadline talks regarding Vučević had left "plenty of groundwork for an offseason move."

The 34-year-old Vučević, a 14-year NBA veteran, played his first nine-plus seasons with the Orlando Magic before they traded him to the Bulls in March 2021.

The two-time All-Star has averaged a double-double (17.2 PPG, 10.5 RPG) for his career.

This season, Vučević has posted 19.5 points on 54.6 percent shooting (39.4 percent from three) and 10.4 rebounds per game. His 60.9 percent effective field goal percentage ranks 19th in the NBA, per Basketball-Reference.

This is arguably the best season of Vučević's career, so it's no surprise that the Warriors coveted him before the trade deadline. He also has a palatable contract, with only one season of financial commitment at $21,481,481 remaining after this year.

Vučević was part of a rebuild in Chicago that saw the team add DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball for an impressive core four. That team once sat first in the Eastern Conference midway through the 2021-22 season.

Unfortunately, a serious knee injury to Ball, which sidelined him for three years, was a catalyst in the team's struggles down the stretch of that campaign. The Bulls never really recovered since, having been mired in mediocrity and fighting just to make the playoffs.

The Bulls traded LaVine to the Sacramento Kings earlier this week, signaling the end of an era in Chicago. It looks like the franchise will still build around Ball, though, after reportedly signing him to a two-year contract extension on Wednesday.

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green isn't sweating the fact his name was floated in rumors prior to the team reportedly agreeing to a trade for Jimmy Butler.

"Ninety-five percent of the things you worry about never come true," he told The Athletic's Anthony Slater. "If (I did get traded), then it just is what it is. My worries ain't stopping it. So I wasn't worried at all. I've been in a place of uncertainty overall. But what's going to be is going to be. To sit and worry about it, this life is hard enough to worry about what you can't control."

The four-time All-Star also downplayed any concerns over how he and Butler, two stars with big personalities, will mesh on the same team.

"He win? I win? That's the fit. Winners win," Green said. "He's a winner. Perennial All-Star. Tough as nails. Just f--king get the job done however it needs to be done."

If if were that simple, the Warriors' roster and on-court fortunes might look a lot different right now.

The shared goal of winning a title wasn't enough to keep Green and Kevin Durant on the same page. Their relationship became strained as Durant's tenure in Golden State unfolded, and their 2018 argument created wider problems within the organization.

There was also the physical altercation with Green and Jordan Poole during a practice in 2022, another moment that lingered long after it happened.

ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk wrote in January how Green gained a different perspective while he served an indefinite suspension last season. Attending therapy sessions and having regular meetings with NBA officials were part of his punishment, and the 34-year-old said those were invaluable toward bettering himself.

NBA fans might soon discover whether all of that work stuck.

Warriors big man Kevon Looney, for his part, pointed out to Slater the four-time All-Star has successfully coexisted with other teammates who were equally self-assured and determined.

"Guys like that who are dogs, alpha males, they respect other people like that," Looney said. "They kind of stay out of each other's way. Draymond is a great connector. He's a great leader. He makes things happen on the floor and off the court."

Golden State better hope this works because general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. may not have many remaining avenues to improve the roster to a significant degree.

In tandem with the trade, the Warriors also agreed to an extension with Butler that keeps him under contract through 2026-27. They're banking on the six-time All-Star to be the piece that guides them to another championship.

Rival teams reportedly weren't eager to do a solid for the Golden State Warriors ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

The Athletic's Marcus Thompson II wrote that other franchises were not "eager to trade one of their superstars to Golden State," citing the Warriors' inability to land Paul George or Lauri Markkanen in the offseason.

Thompson reflected that Jimmy Butler was in a similar bind as opportunities outside of the Miami Heat quickly dried up. As a result, he and the Warriors "looked around at their options and saw they were the only lonely ones in the club."

Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported that Golden State is acquiring the six-time All-Star in a four-team swap that will see Andrew Wiggins head to Miami.

It's no secret that Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. hoped to land Kevin Durant before setting his sights on Butler. Windhorst reported the Warriors, Heat and Phoenix Suns were in discussions on a trade that would've seen Durant in the Bay Area and Butler in Phoenix.

Warriors team governor Joe Lacob has received plenty of mockery over the years for his 2016 comments that the organization was "light years ahead of probably every other team." The Butler trade further brings into focus the folly of assuming the good times would keep rolling in perpetuity for Golden State.

As with every dynasty throughout sports history, the Warriors weren't immune from a decline and they have been left scrambling to account for the decline of the stars responsible for their success. As Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson aged, it became harder and harder to contend for a championship.

It's a sign of the front office's desperation that it's not only trading for Butler but also reportedly giving him a two-year, $111 million extension that keeps him under contract through 2026-27.

This might be Dunleavy's last roll of the dice to get Curry and Green one more title.