Jimmy Butler wants to win his first NBA championship, and he wants to do it with the Golden State Warriors.
After leaving the Miami Heat in a dramatic saga last season to team up with Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, it appeared as if Butler had found the franchise to call home until his eventual retirement.
The 36-year-old was great for the Warriors and developed a close relationship with the multi-time MVP Curry, with the two believing that if they were healthy at the right time and had the right pieces around them, the Warriors could win it all.
And then Butler suffered a season-ending ACL tear in mid-January, and those dreams of confetti falling on the duo evaporated. Instead of rumors about who the Warriors could trade for to help Butler and Curry, it became whether Butler would be the one traded at the upcoming deadline.
The Warriors, who are hot on the trail of Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, have been rumored over the last several days to be offering every piece of draft capital they have, along with Butler’s sizeable contract, to match the numbers.
In the move, the Bucks would absorb Butler’s contract, which would be $56 million next year, while getting a slew of young players and every pick the Warriors have. Golden State would then have the cap space to re-sign Antetokounmpo, and the Bucks, who would be rebuilding, could eat the gigantic cap hit without worrying about roster construction.
But on Sunday, The Athletic’s Nick Friedell squashed those rumors, revealing that the Warriors have already informed Butler that he will not be moved.
“Even in recent days, one league source said the Warriors have made it clear to Butler that they are going to stick by him as he begins a year-long rehab.”
While Friedell says actions speak louder than words and that the Warriors could betray Butler if the Bucks accepted a deal that included him, that seems unlikely at the moment.
The Warriors, alongside the New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat, and more, continue to see if they can piece together a package for Antetokounmpo before Thursday’s deadline.
Newsweek