Stephen A Smith’s surprising admission about Jimmy Butler on live TV leaves co-host shocked

Stephen A. Smith finally came clean about his thoughts on Jimmy Butler's addition to the Warriors, leaving his colleague's in shock.

Stephen A Smith’s surprising admission about Jimmy Butler on live TV leaves co-host shocked

Stephen A. Smith delivers surprising take about Jimmy Butler

It didn’t take long for Jimmy Butler’s presence in the Golden State Warriors to change minds, especially Stephen A. Smith’s. The outspoken ESPN analyst initially downplayed Butler’s impact on the Warriors when he was traded at the deadline on Feb. 6th. However, just five games into the experiment, he has had a change of heart.

His admission on live TV during ESPN’s Countdown show caught everyone off guard, including his co-host, Malika Andrews, who couldn’t resist calling him out on it. Stephen A. Smith had been skeptical about Jimmy Butler’s fit with the Warriors when the trade first went down. He dismissed it as far from a ‘mega-deal,’ but following the Warriors’ strong start with Butler, he had to admit defeat.

I think I was … I think I … I was wrong when I first spoke about this [trade]… When you have a guy who can get to the free-throw line as frequently as Jimmy Butler … what happens then is, you’re giving [Curry] a break,” Smith noted. “You’re giving [Curry] a breather without him having to get off the court to sit on the bench. That, to me, makes them very, very potent.

Stephen A. Smith said to Andrews’ surprise

As soon as Smith admitted that he had been wrong about his prediction of the Warriors, he was immediately met with a shocked response from show host Malika Andrews, who could not believe his acceptance of being wrong. She interrupted him to ask him to repeat his sentiments about the Warriors and Butler to make sure she hadn’t been hearing things.

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Jimmy Butler Is fulfilling Draymond Green’s ‘a**hole’ wish from the Warriors

Draymond Green has well established himself as one of the loudest yet most important voices in the Warriors locker room. His genius on the court has been a major part of the Dubs’ success over the years, and this has led him to be one of the leading voices of the players in the Warriors front office. Ahead of the trade deadline, a report by The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Marcus Thompson revealed Green’s demands from the team.

Before Butler arrived, Green had a standing request of the team’s front office that he deemed vital to their renaissance: Go get another “a–hole,” as one team source described it.

Sam Amick and Marcus Thompson II reported

This wish is being fulfilled in its entirety by Jimmy Butler’s addition to the team. Green made his expectations clear before the trade deadline. He wanted the Warriors to acquire a player with the same fiery, no-nonsense mentality that he brings to the team. In Butler, the Warriors got exactly that.

His edge, defensive tenacity, and leadership perfectly fit the description of the player that Green and the Dubs were in search of. And the results speak for themselves. Since joining Golden State, Butler has helped the team turn things around, adding both toughness and a new level of intensity. The team is 6-1 in that span, after Sunday’s 126-102 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.