Jimmy Butler and the Heat are seemingly heading toward a divorce and the Warriors are reportedly keeping close tabs on the situation to see if they can swoop in and land the forward. They are among the three teams on the six-time All-Star’s wishlist alongside the Rockets and the Mavericks. Many are keen to see the veteran forward team up with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. But Bill Simmons isn’t sure whether he’d turn them into title contenders.
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On The Bill Simmons podcast, the analyst said he understands why the Warriors are keen on trading for Butler. He said,
“From the Golden State standing point, I think they have a two to three-year window here with Curry and Draymond to compete for a title. Whether they win a title, remains to be seen. But they one more offensive player. Someone who can take the burden… So Jimmy Butler is somebody that makes sense for them.”
However, he went through the finances and other costs of acquiring Butler and suggested that adding Butler won’t improve their title odds because they’d have to gut the roster to some degree to sign the forward. He explained,
“[Butler] makes $48.8 million this year… Golden State is hard-capped at the first apron and $1.7 million under the second apron… So here’s the trade. It’ll be [Andrew] Wiggins, [Jonathan] Kuminga, and [De’Anthony] Melton, who’s out for the year. That’s $46.6 million… So that doesn’t work. I don’t know how it works for Golden State.”
Simmons added that the Warriors will have to dump more salary and acquire players from a third team to make the deal work. However, making wholesale changes midway through the season and figuring out the chemistry and roles while competing in the stacked Western Conference sounds too arduous.
The analyst doesn’t see how the Warriors will overcome these hurdles and compete for a championship. As sound as Simmons’ breakdown is, the team has no choice but to swing a trade to maximize what’s left of Curry and Green’s careers.
The Warriors are desperate to acquire a game-changer
The guard will turn 37 and the forward will celebrate his 35th birthday in March. Despite their ages, they remain among the top players in their respective positions. However, the roster around them isn’t good enough to compete for a title.
The Warriors understand that the duo’s production could fall off a cliff soon. They have to bring in players who could give them a shot at competing in the playoffs. They have been linked to several star players since the summer.
Bulls star Zach LaVine, Nets trio Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dennis Schroder, and even Lakers stars Bronny and LeBron James have been linked with a move to the Bay Area. The Warriors’ front office has been doing its due diligence and exploring every trade possibility to improve the roster.
Their interest in Butler, regardless of his age and contract situation, indicates how desperate the team is to surround Curry and Green with players who could help them win a fifth championship together. Despite their efforts, nothing has materialized so far. However, they’ll continue trying until the trade deadline.
