The Golden State Warriors’ outstanding depth around star player Stephen Curry has allowed them to lead the Western Conference standings around 20% of the way through the regular season. Before the NBA’s early February trade deadline, the Dubs could be wise to trade some of that depth for a second superstar. Golden State has already made inquiries to the Miami Heat regarding star forward Jimmy Butler, who over the past six months has guided that team to two NBA Finals trips and three Eastern Conference Finals appearances. Although Butler’s $146.4 million contract officially expires in 2025–2026, he has a player option on the final year and can opt out the following offseason because the Heat and Butler were unable to agree on an extension over the summer.
The Heat should trade Butler to a team like the Warriors in order to get back young players and draft selections, since this is supported by Miami’s projected standing as a mediocre Eastern Conference team in 2024–25. On Friday, November 22, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley wrote a trade pitch that would close the transaction. In addition to a 2028 first-round choice and 2026 and 2028 second-round selections, the Warriors would send the Heat Brandin Podziemski, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, De’Anthony Melton, and Gui Santos. Miami would send Kevin Love and Butler from Golden State. “If the Heat don’t trust Butler to stay healthy often enough to justify the cost of his next contract, they might be ready to reshape their roster around Bam Adebayo,” Buckley stated. “If the Warriors are convinced Stephen Curry needs a co-star to make a championship run, they probably aren’t doing better in this market than Butler. … Butler has the experience to adjust on the fly, the playmaking ability to help bring even more out of Curry and the competitive fire to form a kindred-spirit type of bond with Draymond Green.”
Love was also presented by Buckley as a significant addition to the Warriors’ offensive scheme. “Love’s range, vision and IQ have always made him an on-paper fit for this system,” he said. Due to an ACL injury, Melton is now out for the season, which might slightly alter Buckley’s suggestion. However, Buckley’s trade deal severely depletes the Warriors’ roster depth, especially at the wing position, even without Melton. Nevertheless, Golden State has made it apparent that it is open to making a big move for a star, as the team publicly looked for one throughout the summer. If the team thinks Butler is that player, Buckley’s contract (or one that looks similar to it) might come up during the course of the next six weeks. The Warriors want to make a move on a second banana while Curry is still a top player. However, since Love becomes trade eligible on December 15, this specific version of the deal in question could not take place until after that date.
