There wasn't a question as to whether the Golden State Warriors would trade Jimmy Butler before the deadline, that is, until he suffered a torn ACL on Monday. His injury sparked speculation that the front office would try to use him in a deal to net the team a combination of players that'd help them in their championship pursuit, but on Wednesday, NBA insider Marc Stein confirmed what Mike Dunleavy (subscription required) said on Tuesday.
Stein wrote: "It is considered unlikely, furthermore, that the Warriors would try to use Butler's contract in a trade like they used De'Anthony Melton's last season in a near-immediate deal after Melton's ACL tear... for a number of reasons."
What are those reasons? Well, for starters, Butler is making $54.1 million this season and will make $56.8 million next season. He also makes Golden State better, as Stein noted that the team is 46-22 in games he played since last year's trade. Then there is his "longstanding relationship" with Dunleavy.
Before Monday, the Warriors were seeking ways to upgrade their Butler/Steph Curry/Draymond Green trio. Jonathan Kuminga demanded a trade as soon as he became eligible less than a week ago on Jan. 15. Now, there is a real chance that the forward will stay in the Bay in the wake of Butler's injury.
It's 'unlikely' that Warriors will trade Jimmy Butler
Even if Golden State wanted to try to trade Butler, it'd be a nearly impossible task, unless it was willing to send draft assets to a team like Washington. It doesn't seem like the Warriors want to do that. Instead, as Dunleavy said, they hope that Butler will return next season and give them the boost that he did when he arrived in San Francisco a year ago.
Butler will be 37 by the time he plays in another NBA game again. Golden State's title window was short as is, but now that he'll be out for a long while, it's shrunken even more. The Warriors are running out of ways to win another title with Curry, who will turn 38 in March.
You can argue that gives them a reason to try to trade Butler now, rather than hope he'll return and play at the same level he was before he got hurt, as there is no guarantee that will happen.
If the front office changes its tune and makes Butler available, it won't be long until fans hear about it, considering the deadline is two weeks away. However, based on what Dunleavy said and what Stein reported, don't bank on that happening.