The Golden State Warriors could reportedly explore trading Jimmy Butler III ahead of the February trade deadline, as they strive to improve the roster around aging superstar Stephen Curry.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Warriors will be open to moving Butler if an impact player “comes to the fore” around the midseason mark.
“I know there’s been a whole bunch of discussion dating back to last trade deadline about Jimmy Butler. But him coming off an ACL [injury] could function as a huge expiring contract in a trade,” Windhorst told the “Hoop Collective” podcast.
“I don’t think they’re operating with day to day, but if player/acquisition comes to the fore, they could use that,” added the insider.
Will Warriors Trade Butler?
Further to Windhorst’s point, Butler enters the 2026-27 season on an expiring $56.8M salary. Rival teams — particularly those looking to shed massive salaries — could find that an attractive asset at the tail end of the season, especially if it includes draft compensation from the Warriors. Golden State currently has three tradeable first-round picks and will have up to four next summer to attach in potential trades.
The Warriors have sent mixed signals on whether they truly intend to trade Butler. They reportedly offered Butler to the Milwaukee Bucks at last year’s deadline for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but have since shieled the 6-time All-Star from trade talks. Notably, they refused to trade Butler for Anthony Davis this offseason in a deal that would could have helped them sign LeBron James as a free agent.
ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported this week that the Warriors are also open to the idea of just letting Butler’s contract expire, setting the stage for a rebuild in the summer of 2027 when they could potentially have ample cap space.
Warriors, Steph Curry Extension
If the Warriors fail to find Steph Curry a new co-star by the trade deadline, they will have the resources to do so next summer. With Butler, Draymond Green and Kristaps Porzingis (player option) potentially coming off the books, they will be armed with at least $80M in cap space. That number will skyrocket to over $120M if Curry doesn’t sign an extension. The latter scenario is unlikely, as Curry himself has reiterated his desire to finish his career with the Bay Area franchise.
Some insiders have speculated that Curry could even be open to taking a pay cut to help the Warriors generate additional cap space next summer.
“I have talked to people about this topic broadly. I think Steph hypothetically would be open to taking a pay cut, but I think he would only do so if it would really help the team competitively,” insider Danny Emerman told 95.7’s “The Game” last month.
“If he could take half as much and that would really help get the next huge free agent or make a new trade, I think he would be open to at least considering that.”
Curry became eligible to sign a two-year extension worth $136.7M last week.
Report: Warriors Likely to Trade 6-Time All-Star Amid Steph Curry Extension Talks