One of the most entertaining duos in the NBA over the past year was Jimmy Butler and Buddy Hield of the Golden State Warriors.
The friendship between the two players went viral on social media until the Warriors traded Hield to the Atlanta Hawks at the February deadline. Hield was packaged with Jonathan Kuminga in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis.
On the other hand, Butler suffered a serious knee injury in January and was ruled out for the rest of the season. He’s set to miss at least the first half of the current campaign.
Jimmy Butler Finds His New ‘Buddy’
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, The Athletic’s Nick Friedell reported that Jimmy Butler has grown close to teammate Malevy Leons.
Friedell noted how supportive Butler was to Leons during the Golden State Warriors’ preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. Butler was cheering on the bench and was very vocal about the 27-year-old forward during training camp in Hawaii.
“Jimmy Butler has become Malevy Leons biggest fan. Jimmy jumps off the bench and celebrates every time Leons does anything good. He’s been pumping him up all week during camp,” Friedell tweeted.
With Buddy Hield no longer in Golden State, Butler seemingly found his new “Buddy” in Leons.
It’s great for the Warriors’ chemistry, especially with a bunch of new faces this season like Brandon Williams, Georges Niang and Yaxel Lendeborg.
As for the real “Buddy,” Hield was traded by the Atlanta Hawks this offseason to the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets then traded him to the Chicago Bulls, though there’s speculation that Hield might not be done moving.
Who is Malevy Leons?
Malevy Leons has been with the Golden State Warriors since last season on a two-way contract. Leons began his NBA career in 2024 as part of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He played six games for the Thunder during the 2024-25 season, spending the majority of it in the NBA G League.
Leons got more playing time in Golden State, averaging 3.3 points and 2.1 rebounds in 25 games, including two starts last season.
The 27-year-old forward from the Netherlands could have a shot at earning valuable minutes this season, especially with Kristaps Porzingis’ health issues.
NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson even predicted big things for Leons back in August.
“Leons can be a Minutes Eater. For the Warriors, that can be called a Star Saver. Or maybe even a Volunteer for Vets. Call it what you want, the description is the same: Provide energy and activity whenever you’re on the floor, be reliable when the vets need a rest and be trusted upon over an 82-game season to have those games saved equal meaningful basketball at the end of the season.”
In the Warriors’ first preseason game, Leons had eight points and two rebounds in 10 minutes against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Jimmy Butler Finds New ‘Buddy’ in Golden State Warriors Forward