Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob did not hold back his feelings over the Jimmy Butler trade and what he had to give up to keep him.

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in a brilliant performance. Winning Game 1 on the road gives them a significant advantage for the rest of the series.

And he did just that, putting up a 20-point double-double to seal the win.

While it was Butler who used his star experience to carry the Warriors over the line. And given how they helped welcome him to the team, Butler feels indebted to give the squad his best.

Butler praises Warriors for locking in

In an in-depth piece for The Athletic, Jimmy Butler spoke about how he felt when he joined the Warriors. He praised the team for immediately focusing on winning as he arrived, and it helped him get comfortable.

“The way that everybody locked in (when he arrived), it made me feel welcome,” Butler said. “And we took off… We never wavered.”

“The confidence never went anywhere. [It’s a] really good group of hoopers. A really good group of people.”

“So that’s what I’m gonna take into this next round, is [that] we’ve got some guys. We play at an extremely high level, and on any given night, we can beat anyone.”

Butler has repaid this confidence with some brilliant performances since joining the Warriors. His numbers are impressive, where he has instantly played a lead role with 33.2 minutes per game.

The how Butler has scored with 46.4 per cent rate from the field, averaging 18.6 points per game.

His desire to get to the rim has added an extra element to the Warriors’ game, where Butler is scoring 6.7 ppg from the free-throw line.

Golden State Warriors owner on Jimmy Butler signing

When the Warriors traded for Jimmy Butler near the deadline, he was still on an expiring contract. His big reason for demanding a trade from the Heat was their refusal to offer him a long-term big-salary deal.

To secure his future for the foreseeable future, the Golden State Warriors offered Butler a two-year, $121 million deal.

When asked by The Athletic about how he feels about offering him this kind of money, Warriors owner Joe Lacob was honest about the acquisition.

“Yeah, there were [concerns about Butler]. But you do your analysis, you make your choices, and, yeah, it was a little bit of a risk.”

“But we’ve got to take risks in this life. And he’s worth every freaking penny. That’s all I can say. He’s fantastic.”

It looks like both sides are thrilled with the partnership so far. But the ultimate goal remains the same – a championship – as that will be the only thing that proves Butler’s big price tag to be worth the expense.