The Golden State Warriors are shifting back their focus to Jimmy Butler after Kevin Durant spurned them, NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
But the problem is Butler, like Durant, is not interested in going to Golden State. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on Monday, Feb. 3, that Butler is not interested in signing an extension with the Warriors if they trade for him.
Butler’s preference is to join the Phoenix Suns because the team’s owner, “Mat Ishbia is believed to be as willing to sign the 35-year-old to a lucrative new contract as anyone you’ll find,” Stein reported back on Jan. 5.
The 35-year-old Butler was seeking a two-year, $110 million extension which the Heat did not offer — a decision that ultimately led to his trade request.
Despite Butler’s disinterest in signing long-term with the Warriors, it has not stopped them from trying to acquire him in their last-ditch effort to land a star to pair with Stephen Curry.
Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic described the Warriors, citing one team source, “as still ‘determined’ to get something done prior to Thursday’s deadline.”
They were willing to part with a substantial package for a second go-round with Durant, who was their Finals MVP in their back-to-back championship runs in 2017 and 2018, according to Amick and Slater.
But Durant doesn’t want to return to The Bay, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Warriors Previously Balked at Jimmy Butler Trade Cost
The Warriors previously did not want to surrender both Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga in their earlier trade talks with the Heat, according to a report from The Athletic on Jan. 4.
“While acknowledging Butler’s ability, sources inside the locker room (and the Warriors’ coaching staff and front office) would rather keep their two best wings than acquire Butler,” The Athletic report said. “Butler’s history and reputation is as a premium two-way perimeter player — which the Warriors could use. Some credence exists to the idea that his midrange repertoire and defensive prowess could elevate the Warriors into that next tier of playoff threat. But Butler’s age and injury history makes him a risky choice. His price tag makes him an untenable option.”
The Miami Herald reported that the Heat are “determined not to take back sizable contracts that run past next season” unless they are “compensated with a draft pick or two.” But they also want players “who can help them make the playoffs this season.”
Warriors Try to Flip Earlier Trade Acquisition Into a Star
The Warriors have plenty of expiring contracts to offer the Heat. Add Dennis Schröder, who was acquired in a trade with Brooklyn on Dec. 15 last year. His restriction to get aggregated has been lifted starting today because the Warriors traded for him before the Dec. 16 cutoff.
“Dennis Schröder’s expiring contract — which Golden State today gained access to in terms of combining it with other players on its roster (as explained in the enclosed story) — is a central element of its trade pursuit of Miami’s Jimmy Butler,” Stein wrote on X.
Wiggins is also certain to be included in a Butler deal as his $26.2 million salary is the Warriors’ biggest salary filler outside of franchise pillars Curry and Draymond Green.
With less than 24 hours remaining before Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline, the Warriors are racing against time to make a trade that could jolt their roster, which is currently clinging for the last play-in spot in the Western Conference.
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