The numbers are pretty simple when it comes to Jimmy Butler's impact on the Golden State Warriors since his arrival last February. They're a good team with the 6x All-Star, and a bad team when he's off the floor.
That's a painful problem for the Warriors entering next season, with Butler set to start on the sidelines as he recovers from his torn ACL injury. The team may not be good enough to stem the tide of Butler's absence early next season, meaning that, as brutal as it would be, the obvious solution may be to trade the veteran forward this summer.
Warriors may have to trade Jimmy Butler this offseason
If Butler returns at the start of the New Year which would be nearly 12 months from suffering the injury, it will be between 30-40 games through the season. When you consider the period required for Butler to ramp up towards his usual playing time and somewhere close to his best form, Golden State could be two-thirds or three-quarters through their season.
Are the Warriors going to be good enough to be a top six or even eight team in the Western Conference under those conditions? Sure, you want Butler on your roster entering the playoffs, but as Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic recently outlined on the Warriors Plus Minus podcast, the team has to actually get there first.
“They have to find somebody Steve Kerr trusts enough to put the ball in their hands, but they also got to be able to go get you 25, 30," Thompson said. "He's (Butler) a devastating match up in a series, but you got to get to the series. That's what you need.”
Can Golden State go out and get that 25-30-point scorer that Thompson mentions this offseason while keeping Butler on the roster? That just seems like an impossible task when the 36-year-old is making nearly $57 million.
Warriors could trade Jimmy Butler for another veteran star
Barring a trade for a much smaller salary that retains Butler, the necessary thing might be to flip him for an alternative veteran star who can play for the Warriors immedietly next season.
There might be multiple players theoretically available at various price points, starting with Giannis Antetokounmpo who would also require Brandin Podziemski and all Golden State's future picks, and even then that might not be enough.
Kawhi Leonard is another who could likely need the attachment of two or three first-round picks, and so too Kevin Durant if he became available. Would the Philadelphia 76ers consider flipping two years of Joel Embiid's contract for Butler's expiring with no picks involved? It's hard to see the Warriors agreeing to that.
Either way, Golden State wouldn't be doing their due diligence, and would be doing Stephen Curry a disservice, if they didn't at least have multiple discussions with various teams this offseason that includes Butler going out in a trade.
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