Jimmy Butler Makes Thoughts on Draymond Green Relationship Extremely Clear

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Owen Crisafulli | Last updated Mar 25, 2025 4:25 PM ET

While there was some concern after the Golden State Warriors pulled off a shocking trade with the Miami Heat for Jimmy Butler, they have been on a roll ever since adding him into the mix. One concern was how he'd react to being teammates with another vocal player, Draymond Green, leading to a strong message from Butler himself.

With Butler forcing his way off the Heat, the Warriors made a big move for him, and after initially saying he wasn't interested in joining them, he relented and changed his mind. After enjoying so much success with Miami, Butler's departure was jarring, but looking back on his move, he admitted he's OK with being viewed as the bad guy.

“You can be mad. You can paint a picture that is not entirely true. I don’t even need to get into that. They know what they’re doing. You got to paint somebody to be the bad guy. I’ll take being a bad guy. Makes no difference. I’m here now. I’m competing at a high level and I’m helping the Golden State Warriors win. They want me here. Hell, I’m cool with being a bad guy over there," Butler said via The Athletic.

Butler is known for being incredibly confident and vocal, which are also two words you could use to describe Green. It was reasonable to be concerned about whether these two would get along as teammates after clashing several times as opponents, but Butler shot down those concerns.

"Two winners that would do anything to win," Butler said of his relationship with Green via ESPN. "He could care less about personal success. He's just trying to win a championship. I just want to win. I don't give a (expletive) about nothing else. We ain't going to never butt no (expletive) heads ... 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."

In 19 games with the Warriors, Butler is averaging 17.6 points, 6.5 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game while shooting 43.8% from the field. He will return to Miami to face off against his old Heat squad on Tuesday night, with tip-off being scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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