Warriors star Jimmy Butler opens up on potential conflicts with Draymond Green

The Golden State Warriors are currently focused on securing the wins needed to claim the sixth seed in the Western Conference and avoid the Play-In Tournament. Jimmy Butler‘s addition has been crucial in revitalizing the team, although some continue to express doubts about the compatibility of the small forward with Draymond Green, given both players’ strong personalities.

“We ain’t going to never butt no (expletive) heads,” Butler said in a recent interview with ESPN. “That’s what people keep overlooking. They think like we going to get in fist fights. No, we not. Because all we want to do is win.”

Expanding on that, Jimmy made it clear that he and Draymond have one common goal at the moment. “I just want to win. I don’t give a (expletive) about nothing else,” said the former Miami Heat star. “He could care less about personal success. He’s just trying to win a championship… Two winners that would do anything to win.”

Butler also spoke about the similarities in their life stories, which help them connect on a deeper level. “We got a lot in common with kids, our love for basketball,” he began explaining. “Small town individuals that happen to end up on a big-time college basketball squad, late draft picks that have overcome everything to become who they are today,” he added.

“That’s what those conversations are, and I just appreciate it. I shed grace on everybody that just wants to sit here and (expletive) on Jimmy Butler III and talk. But it’s because you don’t know what I’m doing. Nobody does,” he continued. “And Draymond ain’t (expletive). I knew it though. It’s like, ‘Bro, nah, you just a winner. You’re a truth-teller.’ And people don’t like that.”

Butler praises Green’s impact on the court

In addition to discussing his relationship with Draymond Green as individuals, Butler also highlighted his teammate’s strengths as a player. “Draymond just fights. Draymond just got a will,” he began.

“He is not the tallest guy. He don’t got the longest of arms, but he finds a way,” Jimmy noted. He then clarified that he wasn’t making a comparison to other former teammates. “I’m not here to say that Bam (Adebayo) not this or that Joakim (Noah) not this. That’s not what I’m doing. I‘m just saying that (expletive) just gets it done. Like, real Defensive Player of the Year (expletive). How can you argue with it?“

Butler and Green playing together

Jimmy Butler’s comments about his relationship with Draymond Green are backed up by the numbers. Since Butler joined the Golden State Warriors, the two have played together in 20 games. In those matchups, the results have been overwhelmingly favorable for the Warriors, with 17 wins and just three losses.

And when Stephen Curry joins the mix, the results are even better. Curry was absent in two of those three losses—against the Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat—showing that with their key players on the court, the Golden State Warriors are serious title contenders for this 2024-25 NBA season.