The NBA trade rumor mill is heating up again with new reports on stars like Jimmy Butler and De’Aaron Fox. It seems like there is potential to see some big names moved ahead of the February 6 trade deadline, with the Golden State Warriors possibly back in the frame to take a major swing.
Butler has been the bell of the ball, and recent reports suggest that the Warriors (despite previously being “out” on trading for Butler) are once again in the mix to trade for the Heat’s disgruntled superstar. Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports ignited Warriors trade rumors with his report that a Jimmy Butler Warriors trade is once again a possibility. Despite this report, there are a multitude of reasons as to why the Warriors won’t be trading for Jimmy Butler prior to the deadline.
A Jimmy Butler Warriors trade doesn’t financially make sense
The biggest barrier to the Warriors acquiring Butler is that the contracts just don’t add up. For the Warriors to take on Butler’s enormous $48.8 million contract, they have very limited options.
The Warriors only have three players making even $20 million this season, with Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green are the only guys even in the wheelhouse of making Butler money.
The common name thrown around in Jimmy Butler Warriors trades is Wiggins. Wiggins along with a couple of other mid-sized contracts could get the job done. But why would the Warriors do this? Wiggins is on an incredible contract and he might be more valuable than Butler as is. He is scoring more, shooting better from three, is much younger and is less injury-prone.
The Warriors won’t trade Draymond Green
So is Green a better option for contract filler in a potential Butler trade? Probably not. Could you imagine the Warriors trading their franchise legend? Maybe eventually, but getting rid of Draymond for Butler would not only likely send Warriors fans into a frenzy, but you can imagine Curry wouldn’t be too happy about losing his long-time running mate either.
Are there other options?
The last option, which somehow makes the most sense, still won’t work. The Warriors theoretically could throw Dennis Schroder, Gary Payton II, Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield and Kevon Looney together to get enough money to match Butler’s contract. There are two reasons why this won’t work.
First of all, why would the Heat take that poo-poo platter of mediocre players for Butler? Even if the Warriors threw in significant draft capital, this would be a much less enticing package than Miami could get elsewhere.
The Warriors would also completely deplete their depth if they did this trade. For a team that has been dealing with injuries all season, that probably isn’t the best idea. So although a Jimmy Butler Warriors pairing sounds interesting, there are enough obstacles to suggest it simply won't happen.