Jimmy Butler was an unquestionably good answer when he came over to the Golden State Warriors from the Miami Heat at the mid-season trade deadline in February 2025. But after suffering an ACL tear almost one year later to the day, trading him might now be the franchise’s best solution to competing in meaningful fashion next season.
Butler sustained that knee injury just over six months ago and continues rehabilitation as free agency approaches at the end of June. The Warriors battled injuries all season long, including to Steph Curry who missed 39 games, and ended up one play-in tournament victory shy of the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
An aging team with health concerns to several key contributors last year, Golden State profiles as a group that should consider a big move to get younger and more talented in one stroke — an endeavor far easier said than done most frequently in the NBA.
That said, there are potential options for the Warriors in this regard, but moving Butler and his $57 million salary is a part of every such path forward. The six-time All-Star is fully aware of that fact and spoke recently about the trade talk beginning to swirl around his name.
Warriors Star Jimmy Butler Not Sweating Trade Talks
GettyJimmy Butler of the Golden State Warriors.
Butler, who has played for five different teams across his 15-year career, brushed off the disappointment a trade might bring.
“It wouldn’t be the first time it has happened to me. But it’s really nice to have the certainty that I’m wanted here. If I’m traded, it’s something that could happen,” Butler said, per the Warriors Latin America X account on Saturday, June 27.
“Their job is to try to win. Can I help them do it? Yes. But if they feel that someone can do it during the period when I’m out due to the injury, they can do that,” Butler continued. “But right now I’m here, and I don’t take that for granted. I’m very grateful, and I know that when I come back we’re going to be fine.”
When Butler was healthy during the 2024-25 campaign and playing alongside Curry, the Warriors made the playoffs as the No. 7 seed and upset the second-seeded Houston Rockets in the opening round.
They went on to win Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the conference semifinals, though Curry went down with a hamstring injury in the second quarter of the opening contest and couldn’t return for the remainder of the series, which the Dubs lost 4-1.
Celtics Star Jaylen Brown Dubbed Warriors’ Trade Target
GettyJaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics.
Kendrick Perkins of ESPN suggested on the Friday edition of “First Take” that the Warriors explore a trade for Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, a Second-Team All-Pro last season who also finished sixth in MVP voting.
“We don’t know when Jimmy Butler is going to come back, and when he does, we don’t know what he’s going to look like,” Perkins said. “That’s why you go get a young 29-year-old Jaylen Brown who is playing at his highest level right now.”
Boston is looking for four first-round picks in any Brown trade, per Shams Charania of ESPN. Golden State can offer at least three such assets and a matching salary in Butler who can contribute to Boston’s run in the East when healthy.
The Celtics could also eventually re-trade Butler after any deal with Golden State or clear his expiring $57 million off the salary cap next summer and take all that space to free agency to rebuild the roster around Jayson Tatum.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Jimmy Butler Brutally Honest on Warriors Trade Rumors Amid Injury Recovery appeared first on HEAVY.