Chris Broussard Believes The Warriors Are Now Contenders

The Golden State Warriors were doing nothing more than barely treading water over the first half of this season, and it looked like there was a real chance they would miss the playoffs for the second year in a row.

But nearly a month ago, they swung a big trade for veteran star forward Jimmy Butler, and he seems to have revitalized a franchise that has been in steady decline since winning its most recent NBA championship in 2022.

Golden State has won eight of their last 10 games, and they have risen to sixth place in the Western Conference, even though Butler hasn’t been putting up big numbers.

It led Chris Broussard to boldly proclaim on Fox Sports 1’s “First Things First” that they have become legit contenders because he feels Butler is an ideal fit thanks to his mid-range game.

“Jimmy Butler is perfect for them,” Broussard said.

.@Chris_Broussard is buying the Warriors as legit contenders in the West 👀

“Jimmy Butler is perfect for them.” pic.twitter.com/g4bJknDu1T

— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) March 4, 2025

Butler has given the Warriors that legitimate second star they haven’t had ever since Klay Thompson, who left to join the Dallas Mavericks last summer, suffered a torn ACL and torn Achilles a few years ago.

The six-time All-Star is averaging a modest 16.0 points a game and shooting just 43.3 percent from the field with his new team, but he has seemingly energized Stephen Curry, whose numbers were below par at the time of the trade.

Curry has put up 29.5 points a game and is shooting 50.8 percent overall and 41.9 percent from 3-point land in his last 10 games, and he is starting to look like his old self again.

Playoff positioning, however, is going to hurt Golden State — they sit in sixth place in the Western Conference and are four games behind the fifth-place Houston Rockets — which means they will have a steep uphill climb in the playoffs.

Perhaps their real potential with Butler won’t be seen until next season when they have a full training camp with him, not to mention a full offseason to add some reinforcements.

NEXT:  Warriors Have Been Dominating Since Trading For Jimmy Butler

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