Everything is looking bleak for the Golden State Warriors. This past Monday, the Warriors suffered the devastating blow that is Jimmy Butler's torn ACL. While a torn ACL is far from a career death sentence, especially considering the advances in modern medicine, Butler is about to be out of action for over a year, and considering his age (he's already 36 years of age and he will be turning 37 in September), any self-respecting medical staff will be urging him to take it easy.
Butler's major knee injury now has the Warriors reeling, desperately searching for answers as they look to give Stephen Curry one last shot at competing for a title. His absence essentially takes Golden State out of the title-contending picture, as it's impossible for the Dubs to rise to the level of the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs without a secondary star like Butler taking some load off of Curry.
If there's a silver lining to any of this, it's that Butler's injury occurred prior to the trade deadline. This at least leaves the Warriors some options with regards to how to proceed; Jonathan Kuminga is always going to be a trade chip, and perhaps Butler's injury pushes the Dubs front office to a level of desperation where they're more amenable to parting ways with first-round picks deep into the future.
Considering the Dubs' track record, it's not likely for them to be aggressive. But this is an unprecedented situation. Curry is about to turn 38 in less than two months. And if there's a superstar who can attract another, it's Curry.
With that said, here is the Warriors' dream scenario heading into the 2026 NBA trade deadline.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) meet after the game at the Chase Center.
© Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
For years, Antetokounmpo has been the Warriors' dream target, and no one is ever going to question why their biggest dreams consist of the Milwaukee Bucks star's face. Curry's gravity has unlocked so much for the Dubs over the years; imagine just how much space playing alongside Curry would create for the Greek Freak.
Some may point towards the subpar results that the Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard brought forth as a ding against the prospect of teaming him up with Curry. But Lillard plays very differently to Curry. Lillard is more of a pick-and-roll ballhandler, and he needs the ball in his hands to make use of his excellent range. Meanwhile, Curry is more of a gravity-bending, off-ball paranoia-inducing player who can occasionally run pick-and-rolls.
Antetokounmpo needs the ball in his hands too, and the Warriors have the space to make the most out of his talents. Meanwhile, Giannis also has the basketball IQ and unselfishness to thrive in head coach Steve Kerr's player and ball-movement based offense. Defensively, he'll be Kerr's dream. He can provide weak-side help in small-ball lineups, with Draymond Green shielding him from the more physically-taxing matchups.
Again, it is worth mentioning that this is the absolute dream scenario for the Warriors. There seems to be nothing on this roster that would make the Bucks even look towards their direction on the event that they sell off Antetokounmpo on the trade market. And with Antetokounmpo basically declaring that he's there to stay in the Cream City for his entire career, there are just so many things that make a team-up with the Dubs an impossibility.
But in terms of how plausible it is, the Warriors definitely can cobble together some salaries to try and convince the Bucks. Butler's contract matches up perfectly with Antetokounmpo, and the Dubs have to offer every young player Milwaukee would want while absorbing a bad contract in Kyle Kuzma.
The Warriors can also freely shop their first-round picks in 2026, 2028, and 2032, with picks in between those years (except for 2030) available for swaps. They have to put everything on the table, especially when Butler is going to be out for the foreseeable future and his huge contract ($54.1 million this year, $56.8 million next season) is just going to be dead on any team's cap sheet.
However, this is nothing more than a pipe dream, and even then, dreaming about the possibility of this happening already seems ambitious as it is.
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Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) dribbles the ball against
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Los Angeles Clippers have been rising from the dead, and Leonard has been healthy for (most of) the past two months. There is no way they'll be selling now, not when a postseason berth is well within reach. If anything, they're likely to sell and squeeze whatever juice this veteran core has before facing a hard reset once Leonard and James Harden fall off a cliff.
But Leonard is proving that he has plenty of gas left in the tank, and that when he's switched on like he's been over the past month, he can look like the best player in the NBA. The Warriors could perhaps gamble on Leonard being the ultimate playoff performer, and having Curry alongside a playoff assassin like him could certainly lead to a potential deep playoff run for this veteran Dubs team.
Alas, this Leonard scenario seems even more impossible for the Warriors. The Clippers have no use for the dead money that is Butler's contract, especially when they're contending. They're not going to blow it all up, as evidenced by their desire to keep on contending considering that they owe the Oklahoma City Thunder their pick this year and they owe the Philadelphia 76ers a few picks later down the line as well.
But Leonard is the exact kind of star who can take the Warriors over the hump in one last hurrah for the Larry O'Brien trophy.
Hear me out: LeBron James to the Bay?
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) talks with Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and forward Draymond Green (right) after the game at Chase Center.
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
There's no coincidence that there have been links in the past connecting James to a potential team-up with former NBA Finals foes Curry and Green. James and Green are basically best buddies, while he and Curry have become friends after being sort of rivals during the mid-to-late 2010s.
But the Los Angeles Lakers are never going to trade James away, especially not for a package centered around Butler's dead contract. If there's ever a universe where James becomes a member of the Warriors, it's when he decides, against all odds, to sign a minimum contract with them come free agency. However, in dreams, anything is possible.