We Now Know If Warriors Wanted Jimmy Butler-Jaylen Brown Trade image
We Now Know If Warriors Wanted Jimmy Butler-Jaylen Brown Trade image
The Golden State Warriors apparently weren't interested in pursuing Jaylen Brown this summer.
ESPN's Anthony Slater reported that the Warriors remain high on Jimmy Butler despite the 37-year-old suffering a torn ACL. Golden State reportedly explored including Butler in a potential trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo but has shown little interest in moving him for other stars, including Brown.
"The Warriors didn't show an appetite to offer Butler for Anthony Davis or Jaylen Brown this summer, considering the pick packages required and contracts attached to both," Slater wrote. "All other Butler-plus-picks conversations -- for what the Warriors believe are ultimately lesser players once Butler returns -- were shut down, team sources said.
"That unwillingness to move Butler has put the Warriors in a perceived purgatory to open the season. They are an afterthought, missing $69 million in starting wings (Butler and the injured Moses Moody) and predicted by most as a lottery-bound team in the bottom third of the Western Conference."
The Philadelphia 76ers sent Paul George and four picks — two first-rounders and two second-rounders — to the Boston Celtics to acquire Brown.
The financial commitment also would have been significant for Golden State.
Brown is entering Year 3 of a five-year, $285.4 million contract, which was the richest contract in NBA history when he signed it. He's under contract through the 2028-29 season, while Butler is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2027.
That's not to say Brown wouldn't have made sense for the Warriors. He would have given them a high-level scorer alongside Stephen Curry and a proven playoff performer to help the Warriors maximize the final years of their championship window.
Brown will instead have a chance to compete alongside Tyrese Maxey, LeBron James and Joel Embiid for a championship in Philadelphia.
Golden State, meanwhile, is betting that Butler can return from injury and help keep its championship window open.
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