Injured Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis looks on from the bench during a timeout against the Washington Wizards in the second half at Capital One Arena.
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
With the Reaper hot on their trail, the Golden State Warriors are frantically relocating year after year. They are not moving very far down the road, however. Their limited financial flexibility and diminishing window of competitiveness convinced them to place their trust in polarizing wing Jimmy Butler, which was enough to delay a rebuild but not enough to launch them into genuine title contention. Aging stars breed injury concerns, only compounding the issues the Dubs already face.
They are unlikely to abandon this organizational approach, however. Considering the high sense of urgency there is to make at least one final deep playoff run before franchise building blocks Stephen Curry and Draymond Green retire, Golden State is inclined to keep pursuing win-now players on the trade and free agent markets. Therefore, this plan, which might as well be called “Operation: Stay Alive,” is bound to be in effect for as long as plausible. Perhaps the squad can update it, though.
ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel floated the possibility of the Warriors trading Jimmy Butler and a few first-round draft picks to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Anthony Davis, via the Clutch Scoops podcast (around the 45-minute mark). This hypothetical deal would depend on a variety of factors, including where both the Warriors and Wizards reside in the standings, and Golden State's willingness to sign the future Hall of Fame big man to a lucrative contract extension.
Still, if the stars do align and the Dubs are in the mix for a potential Davis blockbuster, Siegel thinks there is always a chance something can get done around the trade deadline.
Kawhi/Clippers Punishments, Free Agency/Trade | Clutch Scoops with @TomerAzarly and @BrettSiegelNBA https://t.co/Y5xuMfAVqI
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 3, 2026
The Warriors have had their eye on the 2020 NBA champion for a while. They considered the idea of reuniting LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the Bay Area but were unable to gain much momentum. Another opportunity to land The Brow could present itself in the future.
Jimmy Butler is recovering from a torn ACL and will turn 37 years old later this month. It is unclear if he can help the team advance in the Western Conference. Davis is 33 and is a constant injury risk in his own right, having played 60 games or more in a season just twice since 2019. He will be costly and potentially unreliable, putting Golden State in an even more precarious state.
That being said, the four-time All-NBA First-Team selection could also raise the Warriors' ceiling. He remains a double-double machine and an excellent rim-protector when on the floor. Imagine the damage a Davis-Green-Kristaps Porzingis frontcourt can inflict, despite the obvious uncertainty surrounding the trio.
This is only a scenario worth monitoring for now. Both Washington and Golden State intend to enter the 2026-27 NBA campaign as currently constructed. The latter should be ready to pivot again, however, for the sand continues to flow in the hour glass.