The Golden State Warriors have been very reluctant to trade Jimmy Butler following his torn ACL injury in January, but that stance is coming into question again after the latest injury update on the six time All-Star.
According to ESPN‘s Anthony Slater on Tuesday, January or February would be an optimistic return timeframe for Butler which would see him miss the first half of the season. The longer Butler remains sidelined, the less chance the Warriors have of doing anything meaningful this season. That would be a complete waste of Stephen Curry‘s age 39 season and make their decision not to further pursue a Butler trade look even worse.
Warriors’ Jimmy Butler trade stance looks even worse after injury update
If Butler isn’t back until February, either before or after the All-Star break, there’s a legitimate chance Golden State could be below .500 and pushing uphill just to make the Play-In Tournament, let alone a return to the playoffs after finishing 10th in the Western Conference last season.
Butler’s injury was completely outside of Golden State's control, but what they’ve done since hasn’t been. They’ve done very little to try and replace Butler’s production and reduce the burden on a 38-year-old Curry, having swung and missed on a number of notable targets headlined by LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Butler might’ve had very little value instantly following his injury at the mid-season trade deadline, but he’s now on an expiring contract which, combined with the Warriors’ draft capital, could have landed them someone of note to try and raise the optimism and prospects heading into this season.
Golden State will surely proclaim Butler as a mid-season trade acquisition if he returns at around that point, yet that will matter very little if the season is already on the ropes which would place unfair pressure on the nearly 37-year-old to be their great white hope coming off a major injury.
February return would also impact Warriors’ trade plans
The other issue with Butler potentially not returning until February is that it would leave no time for the Warriors to showcase his value were they to consider moving him as an expiring deal. Perhaps rival teams would be more open to trading for Butler if they’ve seen him back on the floor, but that may not be the case based on this latest report.
Golden State may therefore be left with Draymond Green and Kristaps Porziņģis as their major salary matching pieces in a deal, though doubt remains over whether the front office will ultimately be willing to move Green or Butler given their stature at the franchise.
The Warriors face the prospect of a wasted gap year stemming not just from Butler‘s injury, but from their unwillingness to subsequently trade him during the over eight months since.
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