Getty Jonathan Kuminga dribbling the ball
The Golden State Warriors attempted to land Lauri Markkanen and Paul George in the offseason, but weren’t able to complete either task. However, five games into the regular season, and the Warriors have looked better than most other teams in the league. They sit at 4-1 overall and things seem to be going as planned.
This impressive start could make the front office interested in trading for another star to pair with Draymond Green and Steph Curry. If the Warriors believe they could win a championship, finding a third star wouldn’t be the worst idea, depending on what they give up.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Jimmy Butler is a name to watch for. He reported that the Warriors are “more willing than ever” to trade Jonathan Kuminga, highlighting that Butler could be a name to watch in a deal involving Kuminga.
“The end certainly justified the means — two Warriors wins during a 4-1 start — but it also served as a reminder that Kuminga would probably be better off elsewhere. To be fair, Kuminga played more minutes and was more productive in those two Pelicans games than he had in the previous three (28 and 27 minutes, respectively; 17 and 16 points).
“Yet while rival executives believe the Warriors are more willing than ever to include Kuminga in a trade of significant magnitude, the fact remains that they’re setting their sights very high in terms of possible targets,” Amick wrote on November 1. “One name to monitor is Jimmy Butler, the 35-year-old Miami Heat star who league sources say drew interest from the Warriors during the offseason and who did not come to terms on an extension. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer.”
Warriors Stars Content With What They Have
The Golden State Warriors hot start could also lead the front office to not trade for a third star, as they might believe what they have is enough to win a championship. But as Amick alluded, there’s a sense that they’re looking for a home run trade.
Curry and Green, the two Warriors stars, aren’t too concerned about adding another player just yet. Green told ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk that if he and Curry are on the court together, the Warriors always have a chance.
“As long as we’re on the floor, we got a chance,” Green said in October. “Once you get in them playoffs, you watch [opposing] guys fold every day and forget to play basketball. You see that often.
“All we need is a chance.”
Green isn’t the only one who’s made comments about the lack of Warriors moves for a third guy. Head coach Steve Kerr also said it only makes sense to go all-in for a franchise-altering player, which Butler could be.
“We’ve added really good players,” Kerr told ESPN earlier in October. “We didn’t go all-in and give away our future at a time where it doesn’t really make sense to do that. It makes sense to do that when you’ve got a chance to go after a franchise-changing player when you’re on the cusp of a championship.”
How Butler Would Help the Warriors
While Green shared that comment, the idea of adding Butler should intrigue him, as he’s a proven playoff star who would bring the toughness that the Golden State Warriors have had over the past decade.
He’s helped carry the Miami Heat to two NBA finals since the COVID year, and while Butler hasn’t completed the task of winning it all, he’s done everything he can to get his team in that position.
Butler has averaged 24.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in his playoff career with the Heat.
His $146 million contract could be difficult to match, but the Warriors could get creative and find a way to land the veteran star.
Jon Conahan covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. Since 2019, his sports coverage has appeared at Sports Illustrated, oddschecker, ClutchPoints and Sportskeeda. More about Jon Conahan
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