Could Jimmy Butler be a Golden State Warrior? There has been speculation building on that front after former Warriors beat reporter Nick Friedell said that Butler's name has popped up in conversations with the team.
"I think it's a fit on paper, but I'm not sure how he fits into that locker room as the alpha personality that he is and I don't know if after all the wear and tear on his knees the Warriors would want to give him that extension," Friedell noted.
That Heat reticence on a Butler extension is the reason why his name has floated around in trade rumors all summer. The Knicks, Lakers, and Sixers are all potential landing spots. And the Warriors have a compelling package that they could include as well. Here's what it would cost.
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Jimmy Butler contract details
Butler will earn $45.2 million in the upcoming season. He can become a free agent as early as the summer of 2025, if he declines his $52.4 million player option for that season.
| Season | Salary |
| 2023-24 | $45,183,960 |
| 2024-25 | $48,798,677 |
| 2025-26 | $52,413,394 (PO) |
Butler, 34, has made it no secret that he wants a maximum contract extension this summer. That would raise his salary to $161.7 million through his age 37 season, per the Miami Herald.
Pat Riley has publicly stated that he is seeking players who can stay on the floor to add to Miami's roster. That has created some speculation about why the Heat still have not extended Butler, who has missed at least 18 regular season games in each of the last four seasons. That trend typically doesn't improve when a player enters his mid-to-late 30s.
Jimmy Butler Warriors trade
The trade:
Warriors get:
- Jimmy Butler
Heat get:
- Jonathan Kuminga
- Moses Moody
- Kevon Looney
- 2025 first round pick
- 2027 first round pick
Pistons get:
- Andrew Wiggins
- Three second round picks
Why the Warriors do it
As currently constructed, the Warriors clearly are not good enough to win a title. They missed the playoffs completely due in part to the disappearing act of Wiggins this season.
Butler would obviously be a massive upgrade over Wiggins. The Warriors haven't had a reliable second scorer to take the pressure off Curry, and Butler could do that job. He's still a great two-way player who could help the team get back to an elite level of defense as well. Butler does like to have the ball in his hands, but he's also a smart cutter and great passer who could work well in the team's motion-based offense.
The cost here would be massive. It's not everything that Golden State has to offer, but it's close.
Getting rid of Kuminga, who had a breakout season, and Moody, who also played better this year, would jeopardize the team's future. But if they are serious about acquiring Butler, it's going to take a big package. He's still a top 10 player in the playoffs. This could give them one last gasp to win a championship around Steph Curry while he is still an All-NBA player.
The Warriors would also have to re-sign Klay Thompson if they pursued this path and let Chris Paul walk in order to avoid the second apron, which would make this trade illegal (players are not allowed to be aggregated in trades for second apron teams). And the trade would have to be made after the draft, when their 2025 and 2027 picks become available to move.
The Warriors may decide that this is too high a price to pay for a team that still might not get past the Nuggets, Mavs, Wolves, and other elite teams in the West. But if they do decide to go for it, then this would be how they do it.
Why the Heat do it
The Heat likewise have their own second apron concerns. They are projected to be hovering within a few hundred thousand dollars of that mark. Their tax bill is currently estimated at over $18 million, per Spotrac. That's a lot for a team that needed to go through the Play-In Tournament just to make the playoffs.
This trade allows them to get a lot younger, a lot cheaper, and still get back three players who can immediately contribute to winning. They're obviously going to take a big step back if they lose Butler, but this is the quickest and most painless method to retooling. Miami has always been a free agent destination, and fixing their financial problems should put them in the running to get another big star down the line.
Kuminga looked like a star at times last season, averaging 18.6 points per game after Jan. 1. There's not much that teams can do when he puts his head down and tries to get to the basket. Moody is a jack-of-all-trades that fits Heat culture well. He can shoot it, defend, and play well in their system. Both are promising young players who should get better.
Looney had a rough year and looks like he's on the decline, but he can still be a good backup to Bam Adebayo. He's also on an expiring contract that can be used as another trade chip or clear cap space for the team next summer.
Those two Warriors picks could add to the team's picks in 2029 and 2031, giving them four tradeable first-rounders to get another star. They will also have whoever they select at No. 15 in this draft available to trade after they select.
Those pieces would give the Heat the ability to trade for someone better than Butler down the line.
Why the Pistons do it
Both the Warriors and Heat are in messy financial situations, which is why the Pistons are involved in this trade. They are projected to have over $64 million in cap space, per Spotrac. They can help take on some of the bad money in this trade, preventing second apron rules from triggering.
Wiggins' deal should be considered negative value given his steep decline. But he's still only 29 years old and not far removed from being an All-Star starter in 2022. He was once a key cog in the team's championship run, locking down Luka Doncic and other stars in the playoffs.
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The Pistons could try to buy low on Wiggins, receiving three second-round picks for their trouble. They're probably not going to be a destination for the premier free agents this summer, so this would be a productive use of that cap space.
