In the NBA, careers and franchises often pivot on moments that barely happened - trades that almost went through, decisions made behind closed doors, and voices that spoke up at just the right time. For Jimmy Butler, now a key figure in Golden State, one of those moments came not in a Warriors jersey, but back in 2017, when he was still with the Chicago Bulls - and it involved a young Devin Booker, a Suns coach with conviction, and a trade that never happened.
Let’s rewind. In a recent interview, former Phoenix Suns head coach Earl Watson shared a story that could’ve dramatically reshaped the NBA landscape.
According to Watson, the Suns were on the verge of trading for Butler in 2017. The price?
A second-year Devin Booker. At the time, Booker was still more promise than product - a young scorer with potential, but far from the All-NBA player we know today.
When Watson got wind of the proposed deal, he didn’t mince words. He told then-owner Robert Sarver that if the team moved Booker, he’d resign on the spot.
That was enough to kill the deal. Butler stayed put - at least for the moment - and Booker remained in Phoenix, where he’d go on to become the face of the franchise and lead the Suns to the NBA Finals in 2021.
It’s one of those “what if” moments that fans and front offices never forget. Had that trade gone through, the Suns wouldn’t have had Booker to build around.
And Butler? His path would’ve been completely different.
Instead of Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Miami, where he led the Heat to two Finals appearances, he might’ve been a Sun - and who knows how that would’ve played out?
Fast forward to last season, and the irony is hard to miss. Nearly eight years after Phoenix almost landed Butler, they were back at it, trying to bring him in again.
This time, the deal would’ve sent Kevin Durant back to the Warriors and Butler to the Suns. But Durant reportedly nixed the move, and Golden State swooped in to get Butler instead.
That trade - the one that did happen - gave the Warriors the jolt they desperately needed. Butler brought his trademark edge, leadership, and two-way intensity to a team that had lost its identity. He didn’t just fit in; he changed the culture, the tone, and the expectations.
Now, Golden State may be under .500 this season, but don’t point fingers at Butler. The 36-year-old dropped 31 points in their latest loss - a loss, fittingly, to the Suns. He’s still playing with the fire that’s defined his career, and he’s still capable of carrying a team when it matters.
And yet, it’s hard not to think about how close all of this came to never happening. If Earl Watson hadn’t stood his ground in that 2017 meeting, if the Suns had gone all-in on Butler and moved Booker, we’re talking about a very different NBA right now.
No Finals run for Phoenix in 2021. No Heat-led playoff heroics from Butler.
And maybe - just maybe - no Jimmy Butler in a Warriors jersey, reshaping Golden State’s future when they needed it most.
Sliding doors don’t just swing open in the NBA. Sometimes, they get jammed shut by a coach willing to risk his job for a player he believed in. And years later, the ripple effects are still being felt.