121 million in 2 years, but the average average is only 19+. Are the Warriors worth this deal?

In the highly anticipated Warriors and the Timberwolves' Western Conference semi-finals game on May 7, Curry unfortunately suffered an accident of hamstring straining his left leg after a wonderful drop in the second quarter. Although he endured the pain and persisted in two rounds of fierce confrontation, he had to leave the field in disgrace. The annoying hamstring injury was like a huge rock pressing on the Warriors' heart, making Curry unable to sit on the bench in the next game, turning into a spiritual pillar of his teammates, cheering them on. However, no matter how strong Curry's mental strength is, it cannot make up for his absence on the court, and the Warriors were finally eliminated in the G5 competition.

The moment Curry was injured, the same idea emerged in the minds of countless fans and experts: Butler, who once led the Heat to the finals twice, was time to stand up and save the team. However, reality gave everyone a loud slap. In the four games Curry missed, the Warriors did not win and ended in a sad record of 0 win and 4 losses. Butler's performance in these four games was even more shocking. Except for G3's explosive 33 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, the scores in the other three games were less than 20 points, and the plus-minus value reached -52. Such a performance forced head coach Cole to hand over the ball to Kumingga, who had been hidden before, in order to seek a turning point. In the fourth quarter of G5, where the Warriors were on the verge of elimination, they once narrowed the gap to single digits, but at the critical moment, the Butler we were looking forward to did not appear. In the entire fourth quarter, he only made two free throws, and even if he included the two free throws he made, he only made four shots. In contrast, young players such as Kumingga, Moody, and Boger have made more shots than him, and this has not included the free throws they have created. Such Butler is far from the image of the leader we remember who can lead the team to charge and create miracles.

In my memory, Butler can always show strong pressure in various high-end games, crushing his opponents with his dual physical and mental advantages. However, in this round of the Western Conference semi-finals, he made 5 of 16 shots against Jaden McDaniels, 3 of 9 shots against Edwards, and only 1 of 13 shots against Randle. Butler, who is known for his hardness, seems to have lost the hardness he deserves in this round of the series. Average of 19.2 points per game is Butler's scoring statistics this year and a new low for his playoff score since 2019.

However, for Butler, not scoring much is never the biggest problem. The problem is that he did not show the fighting spirit and courage to turn the tide in this round of the series. Butler, who we were once familiar with, could stand up at critical moments, seemed to have lost himself in this round of the series. A worth of 50 million may not be low for Butler, but in this round of the Western Conference semi-finals, his performance makes people ask: Is this kind of Butler really worth it?

Looking back at the Warriors' entire playoff journey, a lingering impression is: "If Curry is not present, the Warriors will feel like they have lost their soul and will find it difficult to display their basketball talent." The data also provides strong support for this: whether Curry is present or not, the Warriors' net-winning score difference of 100 rounds is as high as +13.9; on the other hand, Butler, this data is -11.3. This is not only an intuitive reflection of the Warriors' over-reliance on Curry, but also reveals that Butler did not play a significant role in leading the team as expected.

When talking about Butler's worth of up to 50 million, we can't help but ask: Is this investment really worth it? Back to February 7, 2025, the Warriors successfully introduced Butler, who earned 48 million yuan in an annual salary through a series of carefully planned transactions. At the same time, they also fulfilled their promise to renew their contract in advance and signed a two-year contract with Butler with an average salary of up to 55 million. However, at that time, this move caused many doubts: the Warriors have become aging, so why should they introduce another veteran? After being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs and the huge investment only received a bitter result of "a long way to compete for the championship", fans' doubts about this deal are deepening - next year, Butler will turn 36, and the year after that, he will enter the 37-year-old palace. At such an age, can he surpass his performance this year and bring more victories to the Warriors?

However, just as the classic story of eating buns reveals: we cannot deny the value of the first two buns just because we feel full after eating the third bun. Although Butler's performance in the playoffs did not fully meet expectations, a fact that cannot be ignored is that without Butler's joining, the Warriors might not even be able to reach the threshold for the playoffs. After Butler's arrival, the Warriors scored a remarkable record of 23 wins and 7 losses, thus ending with a strong attitude. Before that, their record was only 26 wins and 26 losses.

At the moment when the season was settled, Cole provided a profound answer to the question of "Is Butler worth it" with the keen insight and objective attitude of a senior coach: "Considering the dilemma we faced before the transaction, Butler's arrival undoubtedly changed our season trajectory, completely reversed the situation, and provided us with a valuable opportunity to become one of the top teams in the league."

The question about "Is Butler worth it" has actually found the answer in Cole's words. Because Butler's arrival not only eliminated the differences within the team, but also allowed every member from the board of directors to the water dispenser administrator to feel unprecedented cohesion and combat effectiveness. After many twists and turns and internal thinking, every member of the team finally reached a consensus and abandoned the dual strategies of trying to "have both fish and bear's paws". From the moment they resolutely abandoned their fantasies and tried their best to introduce Butler, the Warriors seemed to be reborn and revitalized the ambition and high spirit of a strong team. As Dunleavy Jr. explained deeply - "We should reshape and strengthen this team from the perspective of Curry's approaching his career." This concept is fully reflected in both the team's lineup construction and its cultural heritage.

In other words, the Warriors have abandoned the entanglements and contradictions of the past, and they firmly chose to dance with Curry until the last moment of their career rather than choose to rebuild. So, what is the value of the decision to introduce Butler? The answer is undoubtedly firm and unique - "Great value for money", and there is no other objection. At least within the Warriors, they are full of confidence and expectation for Butler, who is about to turn 36 and Curry, who is 38: "Every year, there are always voices in the outside world questioning our age, but I have never had any worries. Time goes by, and everyone will grow old, but the only thing that is certain is that our pace will never stop, and our journey is the sea of ​​stars."