Wild Bill Simmons Trade Idea Pairs Steph Curry with All-Time Great

The Golden State Warriors need a trade to bolster their roster, and it's assumed by most that they will keep their Big Three and deal Jonathan Kuminga to make that happen.

But if they're willing to deal one of their Big Three, The Ringer's Bill Simmons has an idea that would stun the NBA world.

Simmons suggested that the Warriors trade Jimmy Butler for the Lakers' LeBron James.

Butler and James make virtually the same salary, so there wouldn't be much else needed to make this trade cap-legal. Let's guess how each team would respond to this trade proposal.

Would the Warriors Do This?

Butler is having a good season, but down the stretch of close games, he's an offensive spectator far too often. Whether that's Steve Kerr's fault for not getting him more involved, Butler's fault for not demanding to be more involved or something else is a good debate.

Whatever the reason, the Warriors are not getting the 2022-23 version of Butler who dominated in clutch games and led his team to the Finals.

With that said, Butler, 36, is under contract through the 2026-27 season, while James is in the final season of his contract. The Warriors would likely want assurance that James would re-sign with the Warriors for at least one more season, and James might not be willing to make that promise. He turns 41 on Tuesday, after all.

James is off to a slow start this season, and surprisingly, the Lakers have been better with him off the court the last two seasons.

But even though he's averaging a career low in points and a four-year low in assists, his numbers are still superior to Butler's. James is at 20.5 points and 6.7 assists, while Butler is at 19.6 points and 4.9 assists.

There are plenty of advanced stats that say Butler has been the superior player this season, but James is on a different level when he's playing at his best.

I suspect the Warriors would make this trade.

Would the Lakers Do This?

The marriage between the Lakers and James looks like it's coming to an end this offseason.

The Lakers need to prioritize surrounding Luka Doncic with a supporting cast that fits best with him. If they let James walk this offseason, they'll have plenty of cap space to reshape the roster before giving Austin Reaves a new contract.

The question is would they rather have that cap flexibility to chase other pieces in a few months or have Butler as their third star moving forward?

My guess is they want the former.

Butler is not a floor-spacer or a dynamic on-ball defender. Ideally, every Lakers rotation player would excel at one of those to properly assist Doncic and Reaves.

Butler would fit better with a team needing more playmaking. He needs the ball to be at his best, but the Lakers would probably rather have Doncic or Reaves initiate the offense.

It should also be noted that James has a no-trade clause. But before it even gets to that point, I suspect the Lakers would shoot this down.