Warriors Among Betting Favorites to Land $146 Million All-Star

Getty

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr shakes hands with Jonathan Kuminga #00.

The Golden State Warriors have the second-shortest odds to land Heat All-Star Jimmy Butler via trade, according to online sportsbook Bovada.

The odds were released shortly after ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania reported on December 10 that the Heat “were open” to listening to trade offers for Butler, and that the All-Star wing had Warriors among his preferred destinations.

“The Heat are open to listening to offers for Butler and making a deal if the proposal is right, league sources told ESPN, and Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has indicated in league circles that Butler is open to destinations such as two of the Texas teams (Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks) and the Golden State Warriors,” Charania wrote.

“Butler is a native of Houston, Texas. Above all, though, he is believed to prefer a win-now title contender in any trade. Teams have also been informed that Butler intends to opt out of his deal in the offseason and become a free agent, sources said. The Heat have hovered around the play-in tournament over the last two seasons, and with Butler’s contractual status, they have been open-minded to trade inquiries.”

Warriors Eager to Add Star

Charania’s report further noted that the Warriors were looking to add a co-star to maximize aging superstar Stephen Curry’s shrinking championship window. Curry, who turns 37 in March 2025, has maybe two years left of his prime.

“Sources said the Warriors are looking to add a star player — a playmaker, scorer — alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green,” Charania wrote. “Golden State pursued Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen and Paul George as a free agent last offseason, and is expected to remain aggressive this deadline. A telltale moment happened for the Warriors on Friday night, when Curry, Green and coach Steve Kerr spoke about this being fourth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga’s time to take the mantle and Green accepted a bench role for Kuminga to start at power forward.”

As Charania noted, the Warriors were reluctant to part with Jonathan Kuminga or  Brandin Podziemski in deals involving Paul George and Lauri Markkanen.

Will Jimmy Butler Fit in Golden State?

However, the Warriors may have changed that stance, of making Kuminga and Podz untouchable, after the first quarter of the 2024-25 season when neither youngster truly ascended to star status. Although Kuminga showed flashes of a star in certain games, Podziemski’s game actually regressed from his rookie season and so did his stats.

Sporting News’ Stephen Noh urged the Warriors to pull off a trade for Butler, arguing that the 6-time All-Star would mesh perfectly next to Curry and Green, both in terms of personality and playing style.

“The Warriors haven’t had a player besides Curry average more than 18 points per game over the past two seasons,” Noh wrote on December 10. “They’re an easy team to guard at the end of games because they only have one real scoring option. Butler, who has a resume as one of the most clutch players in the league, would immediately diversify that offense.”

“He [Butler] doesn’t have much time left as a high-level player, but neither does Curry,” Noh continued. “Both players are still in the top 20 of the league right now, and the Warriors could set Butler’s new contract up so it expires at the same time as Curry’s (the summer of 2027). That would give the duo two playoff runs to maximize the end of Curry’s career.”