The Warriors spent the offseason looking at the kind of trade ideas that can reshape a franchise, but they drew a hard line when Jimmy Butler’s name came up.
Golden State reportedly had chances to chase Anthony Davis or Jaylen Brown, yet the front office never got comfortable with the price. According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, the team wasn’t willing to part with Butler and the draft capital needed to land either star.
“The Warriors didn’t show an appetite to offer Butler for Anthony Davis or Jaylen Brown this summer, considering the pick packages required and contracts attached to both. All other Butler-plus-picks conversations - for what the Warriors believe are ultimately lesser players once Butler returns - were shut down, team sources said.”
That stance says plenty about how Golden State views Butler, even with the 37-year-old working back from a torn ACL suffered in January. Before the injury, he was giving the Warriors 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game while shooting 51.9% from the field and 37.8% from beyond the arc.
His absence hit hard. Golden State was 25-19 when Butler went down, and it had won 11 of its previous 15 games.
After that, the season slid off course: the Warriors finished 37-45 and lost in the play-in tournament. Even so, the team apparently still believes Butler can swing things back in the right direction once he’s healthy again.
The contract math also helps explain why Davis and Brown never became real fits.
Davis put up 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks last season while shooting 50.6%, but the 33-year-old is tied to a three-year, $175 million deal that pays about $58.4 million this season and includes a $62.7 million player option for 2027-28.
Brown’s numbers were even bigger: 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, with shooting splits of 47.7% from the field and 34.7% from three. The former Finals MVP is on a $285 million contract, set to make $57.7 million this season, $61.6 million next season and $65.6 million in 2028-29.
Bringing in either player would have meant giving up premium draft picks and locking into a heavy financial burden down the line.
Butler, by contrast, is on an expiring deal worth $56.8 million. Keeping him gives Golden State more flexibility, and the Warriors could potentially open up nearly $60 million in salary cap space next summer.
There was at least one high-end Butler scenario the Warriors were willing to explore. Golden State was open to using Butler’s contract in a possible deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
That never materialized, though, because Milwaukee turned down the Warriors’ package, and Antetokounmpo wound up with the Miami Heat. Davis stayed with the Washington Wizards, and Brown ultimately landed with the Philadelphia 76ers.
For now, the Warriors have to get through the stretch before Butler returns. Slater reported that he could be back between January and February, though the team has not announced a timeline.
Until then, Golden State is trying to hold the line without Butler and injured wing Moses Moody while Stephen Curry and Draymond Green try to keep the season afloat.
It’s a clear bet on patience over immediate fireworks. Instead of cashing in future assets for another expensive star, the Warriors are banking on Butler coming back strong enough to give Curry one more real shot at a title. Whether that call pays off may end up shaping the franchise well beyond this season.
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