Belief is back in the Bay: The Warriors should stay a contender with Curry, Butler, and Green

For the Golden State Warriors, hope was planted three months ago, spreading like an invasive weed, overtaking everyone in its path. 

It came in the form of the Warriors acquiring Jimmy Butler ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Immediately afterward, Draymond Green proclaimed they'd win a championship. Joy returned to Stephen Curry, who celebrated playing meaningful basketball again. 

The league's modern day dynasty had been resuscitated after being left for dead. 

For Butler and the Warriors' stars, this was the ultimate symbiotic relationship. Things had become so untenable for Butler and the Miami Heat that he was suspended indefinitely and accused of being a culture killer before they dealt him.  When he landed in Golden State, there was an almost-audible sigh of relief from both sides, with Butler getting a second chance alongside stars who knew how to win and the Warriors finally finding the third piece to their puzzle. 

With Butler and the Warriors' newfound belief, Golden State transformed from being in 10th place in the Western Conference before the trade to becoming one of the best teams in the league, finishing with the top-rated defense following the All-Star break. As a No. 7 seed, they defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in the 7-8 play-in game, and went on to beat the second-seeded Houston Rockets in seven games in the first round of the playoffs. But then things came crashing down. 

The 37-year-old Curry suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain in the opening game of their second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Without their superstar, the Warriors lost four games in a row to a deep, physical and ravenously hungry opponent, getting eliminated in Game 5 on Wednesday. 

The most brutal part of it all was that Curry was on the brink of a possible return in Game 6. If they could've held the line one more game, things could've been different. 

But the Warriors have done too much winning to entertain hypotheticals. They know the postseason comes down to luck. Injuries happen. They didn't want to take anything away from the Timberwolves' victory. 

However, the Warriors' belief seeped out in the form of knowing that they're still in the hunt going forward. Curry, Green and Butler will return, and the Warriors are potentially a few tweaks away from greatness, even in the younger, quicker and stacked West. 

"I know we had a shot," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the Game 5 loss. "I know we could've gone the distance."

Added Green: "There's no way to say how close we got to our ceiling."

What's next for the Warriors after being eliminated by the Timberwolves? | The Herd

This offseason, the Warriors' biggest leverage comes in the form of Jonathan Kuminga, a 22-year-old whom they selected as the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft. He has since vacillated between being the hope for the future and being unplayable.
 

He was pulled from the rotation in their first-round series against Houston. But without Curry in the second round, he averaged 24.2 points in the team’s final four games. The Warriors are expected to extend his $7.9 million qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent in July. 

Brandin Podziemski will be another key player to watch. He has surpassed expectations after being selected 19th in the 2023 draft. Though he struggled this postseason, he finished with 28 points on 11-for-19 shooting, six rebounds and four assists on Wednesday. 

The big takeaway from this season is the Warriors are back. After missing the playoffs last year, it was assumed that their run was over. 

That changed with Butler's arrival. 

When Green believed the Warriors had a chance to be great again, he began making an emphatic case on the court to win his second Defensive Player of the Year award. As for Curry, he's still the greatest shooter in the game, capable of going on stunning heaters at any moment.

And now they have Butler, an explosive shooter who has carried teams that had no business in the Finals into the championship round. The everlasting image of him will always be when he was slumped over the scorer's table in the 2020 Finals, after expending every ounce of energy he had to lead the Heat to a win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5. 

Butler fell far short of those types of heroics this time around. But, together as a trio, there’s no telling how good the Warriors could be. 

"I love our guys," Kerr said. "This was a hell of a run for us, considering where we were at the trade deadline. Jimmy changed our season, flipped everything for us, gave us a chance. We became one of the best teams in the league. Obviously, you get to the final eight in the NBA, you're one of the best teams. We had a shot, but things didn't go our way."

While the Warriors didn't get a chance to see their potential this year, the belief is undoubtedly still there for them. 

And for Curry, Green and Butler, belief is a very powerful thing. 

 Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.