Jimmy Butler has listed the Golden State Warriors as one of the four teams he would want to play next.
However, the interest isn’t mutual.
According to Marc Spears of Andscape, the Warriors are looking past the disgruntled Miami Heat star in the trade market with the Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vučević emerging as their top trade target.
“I’m hearing that the Warriors literally want to go bigger than Jimmy Butler, and what I mean by that is they’re one of the most undersized teams in the league,” Spears said on the January 7 episode of the “NBA Today” on ESPN. “So they’re trying to get a big guy to go alongside Draymond Green. People on their list include Nikola Vučević, who has probably been the top guy on that list.
“Keep an eye on some guys like Walker Kessler and John Collins with the Utah Jazz. Jonas Valančiūnas with the Washington Wizards. Jusuf Nurkić, I can’t see him and Draymond playing together. Maybe a bigger wish is Myles Turner, who will be an unrestricted free agent.”
The Warriors have one of the smallest frontlines in the league with no player taller than 6’9″ in their current rotation. They have a pair of 6-foot-9 traditional centers Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kevon Looney and then there is the 6-foot-6 Draymond Green, who also plays small-ball center, especially in the lineups with both Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga.
Stretch Center Next to Stephen Curry
The 6-foot-10 Vučević is a two-time NBA All-Star center who can stretch the floor. Stephen Curry hasn’t played with a center like Vučević, who can post up and play on the perimeter.
The 34-year-old Bulls center is having the best 3-point shooting season of his career, hitting a remarkable 42.4% from behind the arc while averaging 20.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
However, Vučević is a liability on defense, especially on pick and rolls. But Green’s presence could mitigate that.
The cost of trading for the Bulls big man is also more cost-effective than an all-in trade for Butler, which means giving up both Kuminga and Wiggins.
Vučević is only earning $20 million this season and is owed $21.4 million next season as part of his three-year, $60 million extension he signed in 2023. Meanwhile, Butler is due for $48.7 million this season and is seeking a two-year extension that would pay him more than $50 million annually.
Jimmy Butler Could Raise the Warriors’ Ceiling
While Vučević can provide them with an inside-outside threat, there is also a strong case for Butler as a ceiling-raiser for this Warriors team who are in the final years of Curry’s window to contend.
Unlike the Bulls’ big man, Butler is a proven playoff performer. He’s a better player defensively than Kuminga and a more polished offensive player than Wiggins. Plus, he can give a new dimension to the Warriors’ offense with his 5.6 free throw average.
Against the Butler-less Heat, the Warriors fell 114-98, on Tuesday, January 7, due in part to the large free throw disparity. Miami made 12 of 17 free throws while Golden State only had five attempts, making four of them.
The Warriors are last in free throws, averaging only 14.3 per game this season. Having Butler, who can draw the defense and defend the perimeter on the other end is the best complementary player for Curry they could ever find in the trade market right now.
However, as Spears and The Athletic reported, the Warriors do not want to trade Kuminga and Wiggins.
“Right now, the Warriors seem much more interested in adding a big to go alongside Green with this team than another shooting guard,” Spears said.
Comments
Warriors ‘Top Guy’ on Trade List Named