As they prepare for their NBA Cup quarterfinal battle with the Houston Rockets, the Golden State Warriors have been the talk of the town around the NBA. Aside from their hot start to the season quickly turning into concerns given their recent losing streak, the Warriors have been making headlines due to their position in the Western Conference standings. It seems inevitable that GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. and owner Joe Lacob will come together to pull off a big trade, but will this be for key bench depth or big names like Jimmy Butler and Cam Johnson?
Both Butler and Johnson are being labeled as two of the best players to hit the trade market ahead of the trade deadline on Feb. 6, and more fuel was cast on the fire by Shams Charania of ESPN after he recently reported that the Miami Heat are open to hearing offers that come their way for the six-time All-Star. More importantly, the Warriors were named as one of the teams Butler has interest in and would be “open” to being traded to.
There is much to unpack here, as Butler being on the trade market isn't necessarily new.
During the offseason, Golden State was one of a few teams to express interest in Butler given his rocky situation with the Heat. The star wing wanted assurance from Pat Riley and the Heat by way of a new contract extension, yet the team was unwilling to give in to his demands, as Butler is still technically under contract through the 2025-26 season, although he can decline his $52.4 million player option heading into next summer to become an unrestricted free agent.
The Warriors, who are dealing with their own struggles in terms of finding production next to Stephen Curry, could surely benefit from adding another star like Butler. This is especially true given his two-way contributions and ability to take over games. From the Heat's perspective, there is no urgency to find a trade for Butler, nor will they be giving him up just for the sake of making a deal. Riley often plays games with opposing teams around the league, letting them come to him with offers and labeling his players with exceptionally high price tags.
Although Butler could opt out to become a free agent next offseason, he is still a very valuable commodity and Miami won't be giving him away like a player on an expiring contract. Not to mention, he's making just less than $48.8 million this season, which complicates any trade scenario for any team around the league, not just the Warriors.
For almost half the cost of Butler, Johnson is another player linked to the Warriors and other playoff-contending teams. The Nets forward is arguably the best player available in trade talks given his contract length and production as one of the better wings in the league who has a proven track record of playing next to star-level talents. Between his defensive abilities and three-point shooting, Johnson would fit in seamlessly with Golden State.
What is important to note about the Warriors is that De'Anthony Melton's season-ending ACL injury has opened the door for them to make a big splash. While Melton is a player the organization loves, his one-year, $12.8 million contract essentially becomes a trade exception that the Dubs can use to facilitate a big trade for a player like Butler, Johnson, or someone else. Many around the league anticipate the Warriors doing so, and this doesn't shut the door on Melton possibly returning in free agency next season either.
The bottom line is that if the Warriors are to pull off a big move, they will have to be willing to sacrifice assets. Neither the Heat nor the Nets are going to be giving up their top-tier talents for players labeled as “salary fillers,” which is why Golden State will need to get creative and include not only parts of their young core, but also future draft assets to go after Butler, Johnson, and other players at the top of every team's wish list ahead of the trade deadline.
Here is how Golden State can get it done.
Jimmy Butler joins Stephen Curry, Draymond Green
Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) dribbles past Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in the first quarter at the Chase Center.
Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Warriors receive: F Jimmy Butler, G Josh Richardson
Heat receive: F Andrew Wiggins, G De'Anthony Melton, F Jonathan Kuminga, G/F Moses Moody, GSW 2025 1st-Round Pick (Unprotected)
Any scenario in which the Warriors pursue Butler is complicated. Around the same time the Warriors expressed interest in Paul George prior to free agency this past summer, Golden State reached out to Miami to get word on Butler's availability. Of course, the Heat were not ready to move on from Butler, but they were willing to hear what type of value rival teams would put on their superstar. Nothing ever materialized between the Warriors and Heat.
If Butler truly wants to leave Miami and wants to be traded to Golden State, there is a path to making this possible. However, the Warriors would need assurance from the 35-year-old that he would likely finish his career with the team since they would have to leverage a bulk of their roster and future to add him next to Curry and Draymond Green.
There are two main things to discuss regarding a Heat-Warriors trade involving Butler. The first is that the star forward makes $48,798,677 during the 2024-25 season and owns a $52,413,394 player option for the 2025-26 season. Then there is the issue that the Warriors face being hard-capped at the first apron. At this moment, Golden State is only $533,659 under the $178,132,000 first apron, meaning they cannot absorb more money than they are sending out in any trade.
This means Andrew Wiggins would 100 percent need to be included in any deal for Butler, as would Melton given his salary. These two players equate to roughly $39 million in outgoing salary, meaning that the Warriors would need to find a way to create another $10 million to send out in this hypothetical trade. Since Melton is the only player on their roster making over $10 million, the Dubs would be forced to package two other players together. The Heat want value in any Butler scenario, which is why Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga are the two players added to this deal, with Miami attaching veteran guard Josh Richardson.
Kuminga is a player the Warriors refused to include in dialogue this offseason for Paul George, and the team recently extended Moody on a three-year contract. Despite not wanting to move Kuminga at all, the Warriors failed to reach an extension with the young forward before the start of this season, leaving many around the league wondering if the team was waiting for the right trade to materialize.
No matter what the case is with the Warriors and wanting to keep their young core together, this can't be achieved if they are to pursue Butler. Not to mention, it would take at least four outgoing salaries to bring in Butler's max-level contract, which now leaves Curry and Co. below the minimum 14-player roster requirement with close to only $1.2 million to spend before hitting that first apron hard cap.
Would a trade for Butler be a multi-team deal for the Warriors, where other pieces like Gary Payton II or Kevon Looney would be moved in order to unload contracts and open up more cap space to meet that 14-play minimum? Then there are also questions about Melton and where he would end up since Miami wouldn't want to take on his dead contract.
The idea of going after Butler makes sense from a strategic perspective, but the Warriors would severely deplete their roster and overall assets by going after the 35-year-old star. This is a move that would give the organization a two- or three-year window to win at least one more championship with Curry and Green.
It is worth noting that this hypothetical trade is simply the blueprint of what would need to happen from the Warriors' perspective. The Heat can't take back four players, so this would likely include more moving parts and teams. As a result of Moody recently signing his rookie extension, he is subject to the poison pill restriction, meaning the average annual value of the first year of his extension would count towards the Heat's cap sheets. That basically guarantees this Butler to Golden State scenario would have to include multiple teams with various moving parts.
Warriors strike deal with Nets for secondary depth
Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson (2) and Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Schroder (17) react during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Barclays Center.
John Jones-Imagn Images
Warriors receive: F Cam Johnson, F Dorian Finney-Smith
Nets receive: F Andrew Wiggins, G De'Anthony Melton, GSW 2025 1st-Round Pick (Unprotected), ATL 2026 2nd-Round Pick (Unprotected, via GSW), GSW 2027 1st-Round Pick (Unprotected), GSW 2029 1st-Round Pick (Swap, More Favorable to BKN), GSW 2030 2nd-Round Pick (Unprotected)
Unlike coming up with a scenario where the Warriors could trade for Butler, going out and trading for Johnson is much more feasible financially for Golden State. The only problems are figuring out what type of value the Nets would want for one of the most sought-after players on the market, as well as who exactly the Warriors would like to target.
Johnson, Dennis Schroder, and Dorian Finney-Smith have all been mentioned as trade targets for Golden State. Finney-Smith makes a lot of sense given his two-way abilities and the fact that he could immediately be a lengthy wing the Warriors utilize for defensive matchups in the playoffs. The only way Golden State could pursue a deal for Finney-Smith and Johnson packaged together would be to include Melton's dead contract with Wiggins.
There is still a lot of uncertainty as to whether the Dubs would move Wiggins, a core player who was instrumental during their 2022 championship run, for two secondary pieces next to Curry.
The Warriors can pursue Johnson, Finney-Smith, and Schroder in one big deal, yet this would likely require the Warriors to send Wiggins, Melton, Kuminga, and Moody to Brooklyn. Not to mention, a few draft picks would be heading to the Nets as well. While possible, it is hard to imagine this being a realistic scenario.
A deal that could take place between these two teams involves both Johnson and Finney-Smith going to Golden State for Wiggins, Melton, and a ton of draft assets. By making this deal, the Warriors would still keep their young core intact for the time being, and they would have the option of possibly utilizing Kuminga as a sign-and-trade asset next offseason. Both forwards from the Nets are under contract for at least one more season, which would suddenly make Kuminga tradable.
Then again, who is to say that the Nets themselves wouldn't want Kuminga included in dialogue for just Johnson? The Nets are rebuilding and wishing to maximize the value of any potential trades they make. Whether it is Kuminga or Moody, Brooklyn would certainly start trade discussions with the Warriors focused on these two young assets, as well as a handful of draft picks.
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A package of Wiggins, cap relief through Melton's deal, three first-round picks — one being a swap — and two favorable second-round picks is certainly one of the better deals the Nets could receive at the deadline for Johnson and Finney-Smith.
Nikola Vucevic beefs up Warriors' frontcourt
Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) passes the ball against the Indiana Pacers during the second half at United Center.
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Warriors receive: C Nikola Vucevic
Bulls receive: G De'Anthony Melton, C Kevon Looney, ATL 2026 2nd-Round Pick (Unprotected, via GSW), ATL 2028 2nd-Round Pick (Unprotected, via GSW), GSW 2029 2nd-Round Pick (Unprotected)
Outside of Butler and Johnson, many are wondering about some of the other players who could become available on the trade market that the Warriors could pursue. Perhaps the one name not getting as much attention as he should is Chicago Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic.
Not only has the Bulls' veteran center been healthy and available over the last few seasons, but he has consistently been one of the better double-double threats in the league. At 34 years old, Vucevic is having a terrific start to the 2024-25 season, averaging 21.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game while shooting 58.7 percent from the floor and 47.4 percent from three-point range.
Through the years, the Warriors have ranked last in the league when it comes to receiving scoring production from the center position. As good as Kevon Looney has been as a rebounder, Golden State has gone away from him at times and tinkered with their rotations because of the inconsistent play that exists in their frontcourt.
By going out and trading for Vucevic, the Warriors would fortify their interior with a primary rebounder, and their floor spacing on offense would open up a lot more due to the big man's ability to step out on the perimeter and knock down shots out of pick-and-roll sets. Vucevic is a powerful screener around the three-point line, and he would be a reliable offensive weapon who is more than capable of scoring off the ball. The only downside with adding Vuc is that he isn't a strong defensive center and not a rim protector.
If Vucevic is playing so well this season, why would the Bulls want to trade him? While they may not want to admit it, Chicago is going through a rebuild right now. In doing so, Vucevic and All-Star wing Zach LaVine have been made available in trade talks dating back to last season. LaVine is not a player the Warriors currently hold interest in after the organization briefly discussed pursuing him last year. Golden State never made an offer for LaVine. Instead, the organization aggressively pursued Alex Caruso ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline before the Bulls exited those trade discussions since Kuminga was kept off the table.
Aside from this hypothetical trade being a great value for the Warriors, there are also positives for Chicago. Three second-round picks give the Bulls draft flexibility moving forward and help them replenish lost assets from previous trades. The incoming $20.8 million by way of Looney and Melton is also immediate cap relief for next offseason. Lonzo Ball has an expiring $21.3 million contract as well, which gives Chicago plenty of room to extend Josh Giddey and go hunting for more talent.
Given how well he has been playing, it would come as a surprise to see Vucevic remain with the Bulls past the trade deadline. However, he does still have another year left on his contract, which could leave some teams weary about committing another $21 million to him for the 2025-26 season. From the Warriors' point of view, this risk could turn into a reward given his production and the chance to possibly flip Vucevic in a bigger trade next offseason.