Maybe the Golden State Warriors, having lost out on their valiant effort to slip into the playoffs with their loss to the Suns on Friday night, can find a way to push forward next season, when they will still have Stephen Curry, will likely still have Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr, and thus will still have a strong link to their recent dynasty. In the wake of the team’s elimination, that appeared the be the most likely outcome. But seeing the return of fellow star Jimmy Butler may be a different proposition.
The Warriors are likely to have free-agent Kristaps Porzingis back next year, if they can figure out a contract number and figure out how to keep him healthy. Neither will be easy, but both are possible.
The bigger question is whether some of the big-time names that have been linked to the Warriors in trade rumors in recent weeks will be converted from speculation to an actual organizational pursuit. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James–there are major veteran names out there who would be sensible pairings with Curry. But not so much with Butler.
Warriors Could Move Jimmy Butler’s $57 Million Contract
That has been the chatter around the NBA. Sure, the Warriors would love to add a star to the roster–most teams would, of course–but it is hard to see the Dubs doing so without making an unpopular decision on Butler, who tore his ACL in January and has been rehabbing since.
If they’re going to trade for a major, max-player salary, the only sensible way to do so is to send out Butler, whose $57 million expiring salary is relatively tradeable.
“It would be hard for them to get anything significant back onto the roster the way it is constructed without trading out Jimmy Butler,” one NBA executive said. “The math just won’t work. They’re not trading Draymond. They’re obviously not trading Steph. Look at their payroll. There’s no way else to get in the neighborhood of matching salaries unless it’s Butler.
“And the guy has been a very good team player for them. He has been good on the court, really good off the court. So to trade him while he is rehabbing from an ACL? Obviously, that is a little bit ugly. No one wants to do that to a player.”
Longshot Chance of Getting a Bargain Star
The Warriors don’t have other tradeable options on the books, not that can come close to matching what players like Antetokounmpo, James and Leonard typically make.
There could be a lucky exception for the Warriors if they can bring in a player via free agency–on a severe discount. That would only happen with either James or Leonard, and both scenarios are longshots.
It’s possible, in Leonard’s case, that the remainder of his contract with the Clippers could be invalidated as punishment for his involvement with the Aspiration salary-cap circumvention scandal. If that’s the case, Leonard might be willing to take a one-year, bargain contract and then head back into free agency.
But if his contract is not invalidated, the Warriors would have to trade Butler to have a chance at Leonard.
The same goes for James, who is a free agent. He has signaled an interest in playing with Curry to close their careers, but doing so requires either a sign-and-trade with the Lakers for Butler, or the unlikely chance that James would sign on a bargain contract.
Both of those situations are longshots. In the end, if the Warriors are to make a major trade, it’s almost certainly going to require Butler being sent out.
Warriors Face Looming ‘Ugly’ Decision on Injured Jimmy Butler