LOS ANGELES — Jimmy Butler is a Warrior, and Quinten Post is a full-time member of the team, too.
Butler joined the team ahead of the Warriors’ game against the Lakers as the complicated trade dealing him from Miami became official Friday. He’s expected to make his debut later this road trip, likely in Chicago on Saturday or Milwaukee on Monday.
To reach roster size compliance, the Warriors converted Post’s two-way deal to a standard contract, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. The rookie center has started five straight games heading into Saturday’s game. His floor spacing could be even more valuable now that Butler — not a particularly strong outside shooter — enters the fold.
Butler’s reported two-year, $121 million contract extension runs through 2027, aligning him with Steph Curry and Draymond Green. That could create a strained financial situation, but owner Joe Lacob has been known to pony up for contending rosters.
After signing Post and trading for Butler, the Warriors have two available roster spots.
Here’s a look at the short- and long-term cap ramifications of the Warriors’ deadline transactions.
Immediate term
According to ESPN salary cap expert Bobby Marks, the Warriors are now $1,372,306 million below the first apron after the Butler and Post deals.
Because the Warriors are hard-capped at the first apron, they’re eligible to sign players on the buyout market but can’t spend more than that $1.3 million for the rest of the season.
Teams above the apron have more restrictions on the buyout market that won’t apply to the Warriors. Anyone waived before March 1 will be eligible to play in the postseason. Waived players often sign for minimum deals with contending teams.
Potential buyout candidates who may make sense for the Warriors include Seth Curry, Malcolm Brogdon, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jaden Springer, Chris Boucher and Kelly Olynyk.
The Warriors will also likely need to execute some 10-day contracts to fill out the roster, working with thin margins under the first apron for the rest of the season.
Next year
The 2025-26 season is the first of two campaigns in which all three of Curry, Butler and Green will be on the books for big money.
Curry ($59.6 million), Butler (about $58 million) and Green ($25.8 million) are set to add up to roughly $145 million. The Warriors also have Buddy Hield ($9 million), Brandin Podziemski ($3.6 million), Moses Moody ($11.5 million) and Trayce Jackson-Davis ($2.2 million) under contract. The expiration of Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II’s contracts this summer could create some breathing room.
Those seven players’ salaries add up to about $172 million. Next year’s luxury tax threshold is projected to be $187.9 million, and the first apron $195.9 million.
Even before the Butler trade, the looming question for the Warriors this summer was Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency. The two sides couldn’t agree on a contract extension before the season, and Butler’s salary likely squeezes Golden State more.
The Warriors believe in Kuminga’s long-term potential and would like to lock him down. Their plethora of small salaries should allow them to sign Kuminga at market rate without paying a historic tax bill. But a couple years facing first or second apron restrictions — which hamper trade flexibility and other roster-building options — would appear likely.
The window
With Curry, Butler and Green’s contracts all set to expire in the summer of 2027, the Warriors have hardly any money committed to the 2027-28 roster. That would change with a Kuminga deal, but the point stands: Golden State has this season and two more to make playoff runs, then its books become clean.
It’s possible Curry will still be playing at a high level and want to continue his career for that season, and the Warriors will have ample flexibility to empower that.
A lot can change between now and 2027. Until then, the Warriors are going for it.