Insider Reveals Warriors' Jimmy Butler Trade Deadline Plan

The Golden State Warriors' most realistic path to contention this season is to trade Jimmy Butler to a rebuilding team with a player who has a huge contract that team is trying to get off.

Among the players who might fit that description are Anthony Davis, Domantas Sabonis and Zion Williamson.

We can all argue whether any of those names would actually make the Warriors a contender, but all, if healthy, would make the Dubs better this season because Butler is out for the year with a torn ACL.

Well, the latest report from The Stein Line's Jake Fischer suggests the Warriors aren't interested in that kind of Butler trade.

Fischer wrote that it's unlikely that the Warriors will trade Butler before adding this context.

"The disclaimer to our 'unlikely' characterization: If a player on a very short list of superstars became available and, in the wake of the Butler injury, specifically pinpointed the Warriors as a preferred landing spot. We're obviously talking about the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and maybe even LeBron James."

He later added that the Warriors "have not shown any interest" in a Butler-for-AD swap.

Though Davis, Sabonis and Williamson are no slouches, it's easy to see that they aren't in the Giannis tier that the Warriors would give up Butler for.

Should the Warriors Be More Aggresively Shopping Butler?

The issue for the Warriors is that Butler is under contract for $56.8 million next season. If he had an expiring contract, more teams could be interested in him just for offseason salary relief.

But as it is, there are only so many teams willing to acquire a 36-year-old whose ACL recovery could go deep into next season.

So it stands to reason that there isn't much of a market for Butler. But Fischer's reporting suggests the Warriors aren't even trying to move him, and that could be considered a mistake.

There's no guarantee Butler will get back to his 2025-26 level next season, and even if he does, Stephen Curry will be a year older. At some point he'll hit an inevitable age-related decline, and once that happens, any chance at contention for this organzation will be gone for years.

That's why Fischer's reporting on Davis surprises me. I don't understand why the Warriors have shown no interest in the 10-time All-Star big man. Sure, trading for him would be a massive risk—after all, he's currently out until at least late February with a hand injury. But doing nothing major is also a massive risk in that it could make Curry consider wanting to leave the Warriors.

Of course, the Warriors don't have to trade Butler to improve this season. They can trade Jonathan Kuminga and some draft capital for an upgrade.

But if they do nothing, you have to wonder how Curry will react to another lost season.