The Golden State Warriors have to change everything about their trade deadline plans after the devastating injury that Jimmy Butler suffered, tearing his ACL and ending his season and perhaps the Warriors' as well. No matter what the team says publicly, one thing is clear: they will be very open to trading Jimmy Butler this year.
For all that team loyalty is held up and discussed by fans and media alike, the NBA is a cutthroat business. The name of the game is winning championships and printing money, and if a beloved player has to be moved along, then it happens. Even teams that try to "do right" by their players has to do what is in the best interests of the team.
Butler is 36 years old and will turn 37 before the start of next season, when he is slated to make $56.8 million in the final year of his contract. The synergy between him and Curry is exceptional, but he and Curry will be a combined 75 years old before they ever have the opportunity to share the court again.
Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. was asked about the possibility of trading Butler on Tuesday night. He said, "I don't envision that" and that his vision is for Butler "to give us a boost next year the same way he did last year when he arrived."
Dunleavy is referring to when the Warriors added Butler at last year's Trade Deadline, setting them up for a 23-8 finish to the regular season and a first-round playoff victory. Yet that run ended with a Stephen Curry injury, just as this year has functionally ended with a Butler one.
Expecting Butler to return from an ACL injury at 37 years old and be the co-star that Curry needs is simply not realistic. If the Warriors want to genuinely find a way back into the playoffs with a fighting chance to advance, waiting on Butler likely torpedoes not one but two postseasons. That may be all Curry has left as an elite player.
While the idea of trading a player immediately after he is injured may seem callous, it's not unprecedented. What's more, the Warriors themselves just did exactly that last season.
History says the Warriors will trade Jimmy Butler
Starting shooting guard De'Anthony Melton tore his ACL in November of 2024, putting a halt to a promising start with the team. While the Warriors loved Melton and wanted him around, they couldn't afford not to use his contract to make them better. They traded Melton for Dennis Schroder in December, and then turned around at the Trade Deadline and included Schroder in the deal to land Butler.
That move didn't fracture the relationship between the Warriors and Melton by any means; he signed with the team this summer and is a key part of the rotation right now as he works his way back from the injury.
Butler's $54.1 contract for this season could be used as matching salary in a number of trades. The player taking him on would need to either be comfortable with his 2026-27 salary or believe they could trade him as an expiring deal this summer. That could mean more teams than expected are possible trade candidates, both teams looking to make a run of their own in 2026-27 and rebuilding teams.
Attaching draft assets to Butler could open up a wealth of trade options for the Warriors, and any move bold enough to change their fate this season will require his salary to do so. Dunleavy may be obfuscating for now, as he is right to do, but make no mistake: he and the front office are considering every option.
Could Butler be traded? Absolutely. And history tells us he will be.