Draymond issues warning to Butler after reported Warriors decision

Draymond issues warning to Butler after reported Warriors decision originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Draymond Green is a Warriors player first, and an NBA fan second.

However, with Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler being connected to Golden State for months leading up to Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, Green the player and Green the fan have followed the six-time All-Star’s situation very closely.

The Warriors forward, on the latest episode of his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis,” was asked by his co-host what his reaction was to Butler reportedly telling the Warriors he would not sign a contract extension with Golden State if he were to be traded there.

“My reaction, I’m a fan of the NBA,” Green said. “I’m a fan of basketball, so a lot of these things I look at through a fan lens, not [as a Warriors player]. This one in particular, when I saw this, I was just like ‘Man, Jimmy’s got to be really careful,’ because you continue to lessen the amount of teams that would be willing to take you on.

“At some point, [Heat president Pat Riley] may just say ‘At some point, I’m just sending you to Toronto’ or something like that. So when I saw that, I was like ‘Man, Jimmy’s got to be really careful’ … because you could end up without a market.”

The Warriors, as of Monday, reportedly still were “in the mix” for Butler’s services despite the 35-year-old forward telling them he would not sign long-term, which halted discussions between Golden State and Miami.

Now the Warriors reportedly have shifted their focus to reuniting with 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant in a potential trade with the Phoenix Suns.