Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Athletic NBA Daily
Episode: "Jimmy Butler Returns to Miami + Dame OUT"
Release Date: March 26, 2025

Hosts: Sam, Andrew Schlecht, Anthony Slater, and Chris Haynes

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1. Introduction and Overview

In this episode of The Athletic NBA Daily, the hosts dive into significant NBA happenings, focusing primarily on Damian Lillard's injury update and Jimmy Butler's return to Miami. The discussion is enriched with analytical insights, memorable moments, and strategic evaluations, making it an engaging listen for basketball enthusiasts.

2. Damian Lillard’s Injury and the Bucks’ Challenges

The episode opens with unfortunate news about Damian Lillard suffering from deep vein thrombosis—a serious blood clot discovered in his calf, sidelining him indefinitely (04:36). This development is a significant blow to the Milwaukee Bucks, who were already grappling with a series of unlucky injuries affecting key players like Victor Weyama, Asar Thompson, and Christian Coloco.

Sam expresses concern over the Bucks' recurring injury woes:

“...the Bucks have had some really, really unlucky injuries over the last couple of seasons...” (04:32)

Anthony weighs in on the implications for the Bucks' playoff prospects:

“If he can't play in round one, like, they'll be against Indiana, most likely.” (06:04)

Despite the grim news, there is cautious optimism regarding Lillard’s potential return before the season concludes, drawing parallels with other players who have overcome similar injuries.

3. Moments of the Night: Highlight Reel

The hosts engage in a playful segment, Moments of the Night, where Sam and Anthony select standout moments from recent games.

• Anthony's First Pick:
  He highlights Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's impressive performance, setting a Thunder record with 65 consecutive games scoring 20+ points, second only to legends like Michael Jordan.

  “Shai now holds a Thunder record that he passed Kevin Durant for. He now has 65 straight 20 plus point games...” (07:15)

• Sam's First Pick:
  Sam selects a memorable airball by KJ Martin during the Utah Jazz vs. Memphis Grizzlies game, adding humor to the discussion.

  “It was as if... I don't even know he. What was he even aiming for at this point?” (09:38)

• Anthony's Second Pick:
  He praises Keegan Murray's stellar shooting, especially his nine-of-thirteen from three-point range, igniting the crowd and sparking a significant run in the game.

  “Keegan Murray was absolutely on fire in this one... It's just so fun to see somebody just get hot like that.” (10:09)

• Sam's Second Pick:
  Sam commemorates the Knicks' historic feat where Carl Anthony Towns and Josh Hart become the first teammates to record triple-doubles for the franchise.

  “Carl Anthony Towns and Josh Hart become the first Knicks teammates to both have triple doubles.” (09:16)

• Anthony's Third Pick:
  He discusses Ty Jerome's remarkable improvement, emphasizing his confidence and significant scoring boost.

  “Ty Jerome dropped 25 points in 21 minutes. I just thought he is awesome.” (14:44)

This segment not only highlights individual performances but also underscores the dynamic and unpredictable nature of the NBA.

4. Jimmy Butler’s Return to Miami and the Warriors vs. Heat Showdown

A major focus of the episode is Jimmy Butler’s return to Miami, marking his first appearance since being traded from the Heat. The game saw the Golden State Warriors getting decisively beaten by a revitalized Heat team.

Atmosphere and Fan Reception:

• Chris describes the Miami atmosphere as "pretty dull," contrasting it with the fervent energy seen during Kevin Durant's return to Oklahoma City.

  “Pretty dull, to be honest... It didn't compare to Kevin Durant going back to Oklahoma City.” (16:59)

• Sam and Chris agree that the tribute for Butler felt half-hearted, failing to match the emotional reception of other high-profile player returns.

Game Analysis:

• The Warriors struggled offensively without Steph Curry, particularly from the three-point line, highlighting a potential Achilles' heel as they approach the playoffs.

  “They missed you mentioned at 14 straight threes by the starters to start the game...” (19:45)

• Anthony critiques the Warriors' lack of offensive creation beyond Curry, questioning their ability to compete against top-tier defenses.

  “They just couldn't score enough against long active defenses... Jimmy Butler doesn't have quite the offensive pop.” (19:45)

Jimmy Butler's Integration with the Warriors:

• Sam references an in-depth piece by Anthony Slater on Butler’s integration into the Warriors, highlighting head coach Mike Dunleavy’s confidence in Butler’s fit within the team.

  “Mike Dunleavy was adamant that he saw it in him... He knows Jimmy needs what the Warriors environment could provide.” (23:11)

• The discussion touches on the future trajectory of Butler within the Warriors, considering the team's aging core and contractual commitments.

  “They’re being worn by people across the league... That’s all they got anyways.” (31:43)

5. Strategic Insights and Future Implications

The conversation delves into the strategic aspects affecting both the Bucks and Warriors as they navigate the remaining season and approach the playoffs.

Milwaukee Bucks:

• The Bucks are under scrutiny for their playoff strategies, especially considering their history of early exits despite being strong contenders.

  “They have the plan's been around what, like five years... They want to avoid that.” (26:07)

• Chris speculates that the Bucks might prefer facing teams like the Houston Rockets in the first round to secure a more favorable playoff path.

  “My educated opinion would be the Rockets.” (27:10)

Golden State Warriors:

• The Warriors' dependency on Steph Curry is highlighted as a vulnerability, particularly in offensive versatility and three-point shooting.

  “They couldn't hit a shot whatsoever in their starting group.” (19:45)

• Jonathan Kuminga's role and future with the Warriors are discussed, emphasizing the importance of the upcoming months in determining his place within the team.

  “His playing time fluctuation sometimes leads to him not being as fully engaged...” (21:24)

6. Conclusion

The episode wraps up with the hosts reflecting on the highs and lows discussed, emphasizing the unpredictable nature of the NBA and the critical junctures teams face as the season progresses. They encourage listeners to engage with The Athletic NBA Daily through subscriptions and reviews to stay informed and entertained.

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Notable Quotes:

• Sam on Damian Lillard's Injury:

  “...the Bucks have had some really, really unlucky injuries...” (04:32)

• Anthony on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Record:

  “Shai now holds a Thunder record that he passed Kevin Durant for...” (07:15)

• Sam on KJ Martin's Airball:

  “It was as if... I don't even know he. What was he even aiming for at this point?” (09:38)

• Anthony on Keegan Murray's Performance:

  “Keegan Murray was absolutely on fire in this one...” (10:09)

• Anthony on Ty Jerome's Improvement:

  “Ty Jerome dropped 25 points in 21 minutes. I just thought he is awesome.” (14:44)

• Chris on Jimmy Butler’s Integration:

  “Mike was there when Jimmy Butler prior to his star turn...” (23:11)

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Timestamp Reference:

• Example: 04:36

Note: Timestamps correspond to the dialogue segments within the podcast transcript.

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the pivotal discussions and insights from the episode, providing listeners with a thorough understanding of the key NBA narratives addressed by The Athletic NBA Daily.

Transcript

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[Sam]

Good morning and welcome to the Athletic NBA Daily. Coming up, some bad news for Damian Lillard and the Bucs. Myself and Andrew Schleck play a game of Moments of Night and Anthony Slater comes on the show to talk about Jimmy Butler's return to Miami. The warriors got smoked. Good morning everyone. Good morning Andrew.

[Anthony]

Good morning.

[Sam]

Crazy, crazy night as usual. Basketball always great. We unfortunately got some pretty bad news out the gate for tonight though, and that was that. Damian Lillard had has been sustained basically deep, deep vein thrombosis. I want to get that right because it's essentially a blood clot that was found in his calf and he's out indefinitely for it. He missed three games with a calf strain and so the Bucks basically found out that this is something more serious. Obviously all the best wishes to Dame and obviously the Buck situation is really tough. But from Sam Amick and Eric Naim of the Athletic, they both reported that there is some optimism that Dame is going to come back this season. We'll see what happens there. We've seen obviously numerous cases this season of the similar thing. Victor Weyama got ruled out this season. Asar Thompson had to deal with it throughout the year and came back second half of the season. Christian Coloco, another example, who missed all of last season but now came back and is playing for the Lakers. So it's obviously one of those common things, but it's unfortunate for the Bucks because, man, they've had some really, really unlucky injuries over the last couple of seasons between Damon Giannis last year, Giannis the year before with the Heat run to the Finals. It's just. It's unfortunate from the buck side of things.

[Anthony]

Yeah. And I don't know how many more years the Bucks can have disappointing losses like this in the playoffs. I mean, if he can't play in round one, like, they'll be against Indiana, most likely.

[Sam]

Sure. Yeah.

[Anthony]

And like, that's a tough matchup. The Pacers are a team, they're playing really good basketball right now, and you need Damian Lillard to win games. You just absolutely do. So it's. It's a bummer, but it's. It's good that he's taking care of himself.

[Sam]

Absolutely.

[Anthony]

Hopefully he can come back and just. Best wishes to Dame and his family.

[Chris]

Absolutely.

[Sam]

Yeah. And Chris Haynes did report that, like, you know him and the Bucks are taking this seriously and that. That he's in, well, you know, kind of good spirits through this whole situation. So definitely hope everything is okay for Dame. Okay. So, crazy night in the NBA. A lot of stuff happened, as it usually does in the Association. We wanted to do a little moments draft before I talk to Anthony Slater about the warriors getting smoked to the Heat. Okay. Do you want to start this draft or do you. Do you want to. Do you want me to do the honors? How do you feel?

[Anthony]

I would love to go first.

[Sam]

Okay. Take the first overall pick. Tell me the number one moment from last night.

[Anthony]

So I will take. And this is not necessarily a moment from last night, but just a moment for Shay gives Alexander, who scored 20, 20 points or more in this game, in fact, against the. The Kings in a win that kind of got tight in the third quarter, but the Thunder pulled away. Shay had another big game. He had 32 points, seven rebounds, five assists. He did have five turnovers, all of them in the first quarter, by the way. It was crazy strange. Yeah, I think he had only had four other games or five other games where he had had five or more turnovers. And he did it all in the first quarter, but didn' over after that. So good for him. But he now holds a Thunder record that he passed Kevin Durant for. He now has 65 straight 20 plus point games, which is wild. Only Michael Jordan, who has 69 of those games. Oscar Robertson has 76, and Wilt Chamberlain has 80, which has been. He did twice.

[Sam]

Of course it's Wilt. Of course it's a Wilt ride.

[Anthony]

To be Wilt, it had to be Wilt is one of those. I mean, he's. None of it seems real. You go look at some of the stats. I was actually showing one of my sons some of Wilt Chamberlain stats earlier.

[Sam]

Today, and I was like, doesn't even make sense.

[Anthony]

It'll never happen again. None of this stuff will ever happen again.

[Sam]

Yeah, that one graphic where he had a game where it was like, 50, 50 and 30. It was like this. That's never gonna happen. I'm sorry, man.

[Anthony]

Doesn't even make sense.

[Sam]

Does not exist. Yeah.

[Anthony]

But Shay has now scored 20 points and 65 straight games. The Thunder have won 60 games, which has only happened one other time in franchise history. It's just a run of the mill win for the Thunder on the road. This is actually 11 consecutive road wins, which is a Thunder record as well for them. But there's a little bit of history sprinkled in there for. For the Thunder and for Shea. So not a huge night as far as, like, they won by 16 in Sacramento. There's not a lot to take away from the game, but there are some cool stats. Yeah.

[Sam]

And look, you could. You could kind of pull apart that 1612 record and talk about how they're the youngest team in the NBA to get to 60 wins. All that type of stu. That's definitely there. Okay. This is my second pick. I'm gonna go a little bit fun here. This is. This is an interesting one. If you. Nobody. It's unlikely that you were watching the Utah Jazz play the Memphis Grizzlies.

[Anthony]

I was hoping you wouldn't take this for your. For your first draft, but go ahead.

[Chris]

But it's.

[Sam]

It's worthy of it, Andrew. Okay.

[Anthony]

I was close to taking it number one, by the way.

[Sam]

KJ Martin took a corner three in the game, and it was an airball. And you know what? Air balls happen to the best of us. I've shot him, I'm sure. Andrew, you've shot him once or twice in your life, right?

[Anthony]

Without a doubt.

[Sam]

But this was so short of the net that it was. It was as if. I don't even know he. What was he even aiming for at this point?

[Anthony]

I think he was playing a different game. I think he was playing, like, restricted area ball or something. Or you're just trying to shoot it into the restricted area. The funniest part, and I'm sure you're about to mention this, is that he.

[Chris]

He yells short.

[Anthony]

Right? In a way that you yell it when you know that it's like. It's like just hit the rim or something or whatever.

[Sam]

Yeah. You're like, oh, I know.

[Chris]

It's.

[Sam]

It's just gonna be short. I didn't have enough legs in that one. Well, yeah, he definitely didn't have enough legs. Yeah, that's a tough one. I'm sorry. That's kind of like the. The Shack didn't a fool moment here, but I had to take it. It's just so good. It's so.

[Anthony]

It's so good. You have to go watch it.

[Chris]

It will.

[Anthony]

It will make your day. Shout out to KJ Martin, who I don't like this. Sounds like we're dogging on him. I kind of like K.J. martin. I think he decent basketball player. I think you can play. I think you play. Okay, I'm going to go for my next one. I'm going to stay with this Thunder Kings game because Keegan Murray was absolutely on fire in this one. He was nine of 13 from three. He was five of six in the third quarter. And one. It's just really fun to see somebody just get hot like that.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Anthony]

And then two, for it to be Keegan Murray makes it even better because of like the call that the announcer does to the crowd for Keegan Murray, the best.

[Sam]

Yeah.

[Anthony]

And by like the. The fifth one in the third quarter, the crowd was just like. You could feel like. I almost like went to go check my TV to see if it was vibrating because the crowd was just going berserk because I think they cut it down to like eight or something like that. And it really felt like the Kings were about to go on a run and Keegan Murray had sparked this like big time run in third quarter. And you know, hearing the Keegan Murray is just. It's just so fun.

[Sam]

It's one of the best things. It's one of the best fan interaction things in the NBA.

[Anthony]

One, without a doubt. Every team should pick a guy to do this with.

[Sam]

I agree.

[Anthony]

Who would be.

[Sam]

Who would it be for the Thunder, would it be?

[Anthony]

Well, Royce Young, who works for the Thunder, already put his submission for Aaron Wiggins. Aaron Wiggins. That'd be okay. That works.

[Sam]

I like it.

[Anthony]

You don't have to do it to the same tune. That's the thing. It's like, I think that he's a little bit stuck in a box. I Would honestly would want it to be Lou Dort. Because it would just be Lou and then just Dort. Right. Just one big Dort, you know?

[Sam]

But it has to be the full name, too. It can't just be Lou. Cause that's happened before. They do the loo, right?

[Chris]

Yes.

[Sam]

Yeah.

[Anthony]

But I think you. I think every team should pick one anyways.

[Sam]

I like it. Okay. That's a good pick.

[Anthony]

All right.

[Sam]

I'm going to go with the Knicks, who beat the Mavericks tonight. A little bit of history there. Carl Anthony Towns and Josh Hart become the first Knicks teammates to both have triple doubles. Josh Hart, triple double machine, by the way, most triple doubles in a season in Knicks history. He just passed Clyde Frazier. So cool. Knicks moment again. A pretty inconsequential win for the Knicks are very, very firmly locked into the third seed in the East. But very, very cool historic moment for them. That's. That's a good one. What about yours? Next one. Talk to me.

[Anthony]

Ne. Next one. Kahlu Ware had this moment, and there weren't a lot of, like, crazy moments in the game. You know, there you had the. The Jimmy Butler coming up behind Kevin Love, rubbing his chest, rubbing his nipples before the game. That just felt kind of weird, awkward. Like, what's happening here? Definitely not one of my favorite moments, but this Khalil Ware play where he gets blocked, but he also recovers and then is able to kind of flip the ball back in. I. It was really. It was one of, like, the cooler plays, especially from a rookie this season. And to me, it's just kind of. I just want to highlight again, like, I've talked about it on Slamming Jam before, but this Khalil Ware pick was really good. Yeah, the Miami Heat. I mean, the guy's 7 1. He's a monster. He's good on the boards. He can block shots, He's a good rim runner, and he's super skilled. And he takes threes. Like, I mean, you're just. You're looking at this draft class, and you're looking up at. You're like, man, this draft class is not that good, blah, blah, blah. But, like, there are some guys that are playing really well, and Kiloware is one of them. And he's one of the guys that, if we look back in three years and Kilow, where we're saying, like, oh, he should have gone top five, like, I will not be shocked, because you can maybe.

[Sam]

You honestly, you could maybe do a redraft right now, and there would be a conversation for him to be Top five.

[Anthony]

Yeah, yeah. My guys at, you know, ball. Had him, had him. Number one.

[Sam]

There you go.

[Chris]

Wow.

[Sam]

Over Jared McCain. That's interesting. That's very interesting. Okay, my, my final pick here is Ty Jerome, which I think, I think Ty Jerome needs to be the most improved player. I don't know exactly what the eligibility requirements are for him in the 65 game rule because he only plays 20 minutes a night. He played 20 minutes tonight against the Portland Trailblazers. The Cavs get a win without, you know, Donovan Mitchell, who doesn't play. And ty Jerome dropped 25 points in 21 minutes. I just thought he is awesome. He has this swagger to him, this confidence. Those are the type of players we should be rewarding for most improved because that's the essence of the award. A guy who was basically not in the NBA or on the fringes of the NBA to a guy who. How many teams would Ty Jerome start for today? That. Think about it, folks, maybe that's something fans should think about. How many teams Ty Jerome would start about today?

[Anthony]

There's a handful. There is a handful. Floaters for days.

[Chris]

Yeah, he.

[Sam]

Okay. Anyways, look, that, that was your moments of the night. Andrew. Appreciate you playing this little game with me. Look, coming up we got Anthony Slater talking about the Miami Heat Jimmy Butler reunion game. It was a lot of theatrics, the game not so theatrical. Jimmy Butler returned to Miami for the first time since being traded from the Heat. But the Steph Curry list Warriors get absolutely smacked by a motivated Heat team. To help me break this down and talk about the warriors, we're joined by Anthony Slater who covers the team for us here at the Athletic. Slater, not the game Jimmy or the warriors probably wanted out of this one, but just generally how was the atmosphere, the vibes coming into the game, the tribute video, all that type of stuff. How was the, how was the atmosphere in Miami?

[Chris]

Pretty dull, to be honest. Didn't. And you know, Steve Kerr said it post game and I, you know, I thought he was right. I mean this is kind of Miami's crowds vibe, which is, you know, he, he put it in a very complimentary way of like such a great city, so much to do. Nobody's ever too amped up. And you know, even talking to some of the warriors people pre and post game, how much it didn't compare to Kevin Durant going back to Oklahoma City.

[Anthony]

Right.

[Chris]

And obvious like there. That one was deeper and, and just there was more nuance to that. But also that's a ferocious, you know, I guess Road atmosphere typically. And this isn't. And you know, Jimmy Butler got some tepid booze, some cheers and some acknowledgement booze.

[Sam]

It felt like they were half hearted. Right?

[Chris]

They were half hearted. And the other thing is. And I think the Heat kind of did this on purpose, but they did it pre game. Right. Which, you know, and this is a notoriously late arriving crowd. Right. They're just kind of lounging in from. From the beach or whatever. So that it in. Sure. I mean, you could tell. And you know, Kurt made this point also, like, the Heat were very motivated. Eric Spulcer had his team very motivated. Andrew Wiggins was flying around. Bam. Adebaya was super aggressive offensively. Davion Mitchell played really well. You could tell that it meant a lot to the players, the coaches, the, you know, front office, the organization, but it didn't feel like it did again when, like in Oklahoma City, that was an entire city descending upon the warriors and Kevin Durant. It was not like that on Butler.

[Sam]

Yeah, you're right. Right. And I think, you know, the tribute video, I kind of mentioned this in our group chat too, but it was just weird to go from tribute video to booze and then to cheers and booze. It was just mixed feelings all around. Right.

[Chris]

To be honest, I was at the De'Aaron Fox return game a couple weeks ago in Sacramento. That was like fiercer.

[Sam]

Wow. Well, that makes sense. Sacramento is a great crowd, right?

[Chris]

Yes, agreed. Exactly. Yeah. But you know, he doesn't have the history or it certainly didn't have. I mean, it wasn't a great divorce with Butlers, but. Yeah, I mean, I don't know. It's so in a sense, like the scene and this and the moment in the event was a little bit underwhelming tonight.

[Sam]

Yeah, look, I mean, the game itself was pretty underwhelming too, especially from the warriors perspective. I mean, there were some really great moments from the Heat, who probably played one of their most inspired basketball games this season, but from the warriors perspective, it was bad all around. I mean, they couldn't hit a shot whatsoever in their starting group. And you know, obviously without Steph. That's definitely a part it. But how much are you concerned about the lack of creation outside of Steph, given this team's aspirations going into the playoffs?

[Chris]

Yeah, I mean, it's the potential Achilles heel for sure. They missed you mentioned at 14 straight threes by the starters to start the game. I think they were like 9 to 38 from 3. Meanwhile, the Heat were 17 to 24 from 3. But some of it is just like bad like right. Moses Moody went 09 for three. He's been shooting it really well for, for a long period of time. Yeah. But even Jimmy Butler, who without Steph is supposed to kind of be the offensive creator, like he's scored 11 points, had a couple assists. Of course there was a lot of potential assists that were missed. But he hasn't been overwhelming offensively. He's had a couple nights at a couple quarters like the quarter that Steph got hurt in against the Raptors. Right. Jimmy. Right. Kind of, you know, took him home down the stretch and he's had moments. But I think I will say like if we're telling, if we're going to be telling the post mortem on this team in the playoffs or play in theoretically, but probably in a playoff series, I think it is going to be. They just couldn't score enough against long active defenses, you know, at the rim and, and from three and from a creation standpoint and they're still. Despite being, you know, the burden is not quite as tough on Steph Curry. I still think it's going to be too much against the best defenses, especially because, you know, Jimmy Butler doesn't have quite the offensive pop. I don't believe. Yeah. That. That he used to have. He's an all around great player that's changed their team. And then the other thing, maybe we're going to get to it. Kaminga, like the, the Kaminga reintegration. Well, I'm glad you brought that up. Yeah. Yeah.

[Sam]

I mean look, it's, it's been not smooth to like you mentioned, but what is it that's making it not smooth from him coming back from injury?

[Chris]

Yeah, I mean they're talking about wanting to have more spacing lineups, getting Quentin Post out there more often, you know. And like Jonathan Kaminga is not, you know, your more traditional like catch and shoot spacer when he was playing really well in the middle portion of the season before he sprained his ankle, is that he's being featured more just kind of in some ways in like a. The Jimmy Butler role. He comes back to a team that Jimmy Butler's on and like, you know, we'll see how that they fit long term on the court together. I'm not sure it's gone that great through, through seven, eight games, whatever it's been because Jimmy Butler's kind of stagnant. They're isolating Jimmy Butler a lot more and they're so, you know, Kerr had some stat the other day that Jimmy Butler's the best isolation player in the league according to their metrics, and so they're going to feature that. And typically around, you know, your more ball dominant isolation guys, you want, you know, space shooters who, who don't need isolations themselves. And I think Kamiga's trying to learn. He's had a couple games where his cutting's been very good and he does stuff that they really need, right? Powerful downhill slashing. But he also kind of wants to get to his mid ranger at times and he wants to be featured in defenses sag off him, which naturally clutters the lane. So there's a little of that and, and then the bigger picture two steps back is just like, I don't know that. There's always been a full level of belief from Steve Kerr and the coaching staff about Kaminga, and I just think his, his playing time fluctuation sometimes leads to him not being as fully engaged and as you'd want him to be. But some of it, in my opinion, is understandable because it's just, it just feels like he's just so commonly yanked around and he just like doesn't know what the role is, what everything is, you know, designed to be for him now and into the future.

[Sam]

And men, you know, you mentioned the future that's this very interesting for Jonathan Kaminga. It's an important summer for him. And like, how much is this next month, month and a half, whatever it is of basketball for Kaminga going to determine what the future looks like with him and the Warriors?

[Chris]

I think a lot, because if they decide to pay him as Joe Lakob, you know, who, who was very much part of the drafting process of Kaminga and has remained a staunch believer of Kameka, you know, he told me on the record after the Butler trade that the full, you know, belief and intention of him and their front office is to pay commingle, you know, long term. And you know, coming is obviously seeking, you know, seeking the max, which his max would start in the 37, 38 range. But, you know, even if it's not that mid-20s towards 30, right? If, if they were to give him that type of contract this summer while already committing big money to Butler, Curry, Draymond, you're talking about a near second apron team already committing to that long term. And to me, you only do something like that. You only go that deep in the tax if it's like this is a title contending core and you know it. So if they go and you know, they knock on the door of the finals this year and really kind of make a run and coming as a heavy part of it. Then, then I can see his future being here and then paying big money for, for that type of team. But if, if they flame out and if he's not that big of a factor and if, if that core four that I mentioned looks like it doesn't fit, I can't imagine them paying that to, to those four type of players for a team that, you know, flamed out in the first round, like 4:1 or something like that. And then, you know, Kaminga's futures in question, but also, you know, you know, do they make another tweak with, with the Butler dream on part of the core? Because you know, they, they, they are kind of committed to this like, you know, one last ride, two last rides, whatever you want to call it, with this real aging threesome that they have. But also like Joe Lacomb still believes in Jonathan Kaminga long term and the talent. I don't think they want to have a completely empty cupboard where they just let nothing.

[Sam]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Chris]

So it's, it's, it's a tricky situation. And going back to the, to the premise of your question, I think what happens over the next month and a half is very relevant.

[Sam]

Right?

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Sam]

And look, the playoff race is going to be very relevant to how they finish here because the west playoff race is all about matchups.

[Chris]

Right.

[Sam]

Whoever you get matched up against in the first round might kind of determine whether you're going to make that deep playoff run or whether you're going to be a first round out. And the Clippers, the Wolves, they're knocking on the door for that final playoff spot. Losing this game now kind of makes it a little bit unclear if they're going to be securing that six seed. What kind of urgency is there for them to just keep trying to climb this standings? And, and I guess the other side note to this question is who do you think they want to face? Who's that team they've got their eyes on?

[Chris]

So I'll start with the urgency. I mean, it's high. Yeah, they have, the plan's been around what, like five years, right. They've, it's probably impacted them negatively more than anyone. They, the first year lost to the Lakers in the, in the 78 plan and then lost to that really young Grizzlies team that came into Chase center and knocked them out of the playoffs when they were the eight seed. They were the first team to experience being a top eight seed and not making the playoffs. So that was a negative experience. And then obviously last year they got pummeled in the 9:10, playing like they, they've seen their season end in that so much that like you could tell how much they want to avoid that. Number one, just because you don't want your season to be done, but also if you avoid the plane and I think this is very important considering the age of their team and how they believe they have to win playoff series, which is with their smarts.

[Sam]

You get the week off.

[Chris]

Right. You get the week off where you rest your bodies and you also prep, you know, you. Sure, let's say you squeak in the playoffs as the eight seed. You're going to win that game on Friday night and then you're going to be in Oklahoma City like Sunday afternoon, game one.

[Sam]

Right.

[Chris]

You don't want that. Now who do they want to play? My educated opinion would be the Rockets.

[Sam]

Okay.

[Chris]

Fair and well, I believe the Rockets are in the two. I mean, I know it's all kind of jumbled up right now.

[Sam]

Yeah, they're safely in the two seed right now, but. Yeah.

[Chris]

So honestly I could hear the argument that the, the, it's threading the needle. But the pet best path for them might be sitting in the seven, eight, getting a home playing game on like a Tuesday night, winning that and sitting in the seven.

[Sam]

Right.

[Chris]

You're out of the Thunder side of the bracket and you're facing what I think is more appealing opponent than the Lakers or the Nuggets. Yeah. But again that puts you in danger in that 7 8, losing that and then your season's on the line, then you're playing the Thunder even if you win it. So it's, it's, it's tricky. I mean I, I know what they're going to do is they're just going to try to win as many of the next 10 games as possible. Avoid the plan, of course, play whoever they play. But I do think the Rockets would be the most likely that they could take down in the first round.

[Sam]

Yeah, I mean we're getting to that point of gamesmanship also from, from kind of like maneuvering in the standings and whatnot. I wanted to bring up the piece you had on Jimmy Butler, a full sit down piece with Jimmy on basically everything that's happened with the Miami Heat breakup and kind of looking forward in the future with Golden State. If you haven't read it by the way, go out and check out this article. It was incredible in the piece though. It felt like there was a massive level of confidence from Mike Dunleavy, vouching for Jimmy and his situation and kind of letting him be Jimmy. I think mostly all of the warriors are kind of letting Jimmy be Jimmy. It feels like the warriors have that as a specialty. Letting stars just be themselves. Is that part of the equation and looking long term at keeping this guy around for the foreseeable future, however long it is?

[Chris]

Yeah, I mean, you mentioned the name Mike Dunleavy, and where he's really important here is he was the only person in this situation who knew both sides. He knows the Warriors. He's been, you know, in their front office for a handful of years now. Obviously, he's been at the head of it now for two seasons. He knows how Steve Kerr operates. He knows the type of environment that Steph Curry has cultivated that allows stars to walk in and, you know, feel comfortable. But he also knows Jimmy Butler. He played with Jimmy Butler for three years. I've talked to Jimmy about Mike and how much he loves Mike for a few reasons. But number one, Mike was there when Jimmy Butler prior to his star turn, and Mike was adamant to Jimmy Butler that he saw it in him. And Mike also, as I put in the story, saw Jimmy Butler turned down Chicago's four year, $44 million rookie extension. Basically tell the Bulls, like, no, no, I'm a go. You know, outplay it. And then by November, December of that season, he was like, guaranteed max. And just, you know, Mike is sitting there, jaw dropped, like, you know, about Jimmy. And he. While I think even Steph Curry and Steve Curry, they're reading everything that's going on in Miami. Obviously Steve's very friendly with Eric Spoelstro. He coached with. There was reservations from that side of the franchise and I clearly there was reservations around the league from people who didn't know Jimmy Butler and Mike. I brought this trade together and of got it across the finish line because, you know, he had confidence that what's happening right now would happen where. Where. What Jimmy needs at this point of his career, knowing him, is what the warriors environment could provide. He made sure ownership greenlit the contract extension, which is, you know, how do you get a motivated Jimmy Butler? How do you get a happy Jimmy Butler? You sh. You show him, you value him. You give him the financial, you know, backing he wants, but also just like the statement of. Of the contract in the trade. And then the other thing to. To. To kind of wrap up, up, you know, the. What we're talking about here is this idea of a Jimmy Butler honeymoon. And you know, they're being worn by people across the league at all the various stops. About this expiration date. It's like, you know, wait, a couple years from now. They're like, that's all they got anyways, right? You know, like they lined up the contracts. Steph Curry, who's 37, Draymond, 35, Jimmy, 35, they're all expiring, you know, two and a half seasons from now. Basically two at this point, you know, that's going to give him two to three playoff runs. And if it just goes up in flames, you know, it's burning something down, that's that it's inevitably ending regardless. Like, they kind of just think there's a massive rebuild, like they're going to fall off the cliff soon. So they're like, what? You know, whatever. Like, let's have a fun honeymoon for, for a marriage that's ending regardless.

[Sam]

Well, look, the marriage has worked so far. They're 16 and 5, one of the best defenses since Jimmy joined. Go and read Anthony Slater at the Athletic. One of the best in the business. Also go and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Leave us a five star review whenever you stream this podcast. Thank you for listening to the Athletic NBA Daily for Anthony Slater, Andrew Schlecht and myself. Thank you for waking up with us.

[Chris]

As we head into the playoffs, it's safe to assume there will be a few calls made by the refs that will be hard to accept. But you know what isn't hard to accept? Discover. Believe it or not, Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. You heard that right, 99%. So make a good call for your wallet and get Discover. Based on the February 2024 Nielsen report. Learn more at discover.com credit card this.

[Mike]

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[Anthony]

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