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A window to acquire a star that could perfectly complement Stephen Curry has opened for the Golden State Warriors.
On Tuesday, December 10, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Miami Heat‘s six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler is open to getting traded to the Warriors.
“The Heat are open to listening to offers for Butler and making a deal if the proposal is right, league sources told ESPN, and Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has indicated in league circles that Butler is open to destinations such as two of the Texas teams (Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks) and the Golden State Warriors. Butler is a native of Houston, Texas,” Charania wrote.
Butler has a $52.4 million player option for next season, which he is not inclined to pick up, Charania added.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Warriors are interested in trading for Butler and have checked in with the Heat in the offseason.
“Jimmy Butler’s going to be a free agent next summer, didn’t get an extension done,” Amick said on “The TK Show” podcast on September 12. “The Warriors, as you know, have interest there and I think probably [they] made a couple of calls during the summer.”
The Warriors have been aggressively pursuing a star to pair with Curry in their bid to extend their championship window. After their failed pursuits of LeBron James, Paul George and Lauri Markkanen in the offseason, could they finally land one in Butler?
Jimmy Butler Could Become Steph Curry’s Second-Best Co-Star
A Butler trade would represent an all-in move for the Warriors to maximize Curry’s remaining years as an elite player in the NBA.
Getting Butler would give the Warriors his best co-star since Kevin Durant during their back-to-back title runs in 2017 and 2018.
Butler, 35, is called “Playoff Jimmy” for his penchant for playing big games during the postseason. While Butler lost in the NBA Finals twice with the Heat, he averaged 24.1 points, 8.3 assists and 6.6 rebounds in 11 games.
Butler isn’t a good outside shooter, but he is one of the physically and mentally toughest swingmen in the league and possesses a solid midrange game that could complement Curry’s outside snipings and playmaking.
This season, Butler is averaging 19 points, his lowest scoring average since Miami acquired him in 2019. But he’s shooting a career-best 55.7% from the field in his fewest attempts since 2013-14 (11.3). On top of that, he’s also averaging 5.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
Warriors Own Second-Best Odds to Land Jimmy Butler
While Butler has become available, it is not guaranteed that he will land in Golden State.
The Warriors have strong competition in what the Heat would hope as a bidding war for Butler’s services.
Bovada has installed the Rockets as the favorite (+250) to land Butler, with the Warriors a close second as a +300 favorite. The Brooklyn Nets (+400) and the Mavericks (+500) are also among the favorites.
The Rockets have plenty of young talents, from former No. 2 pick Jalen Green to Alperen Sengun, to dangle in a Butler trade. Aside from the fact that Butler is from Houston, his hometown team’s defensive identity under coach Ime Udoka appears to be a seamless fit.
The Warriors front office led by Mike Dunleavy Jr. has their work cut out for them to deliver Butler to the Bay Area.
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