The Golden State Warriors have resisted the idea of trading Jimmy Butler to this point in his recovery from a torn ACL, but they could reconsider such a move due to a factor completely outside the 36-year-old's control.
After an underwhelming offseason with little change, there's already a look ahead to what the Warriors could do at the mid-season deadline. That, of course, will be determined by how they perform on the floor leading up to that point, something that Butler will have very little influence over as he continues his recovery from injury.
Warriors trading Jimmy Butler hinges on factor outside his control
While ESPN predicts the Warriors as the most likely team to make a big mid-season move, that doesn't necessarily equate to them being buyers and acquiring a star player themselves.
In fact, podcast, NBA insider Brett Siegel suggested Golden State could actually be sellers if they struggle through the first half of the season, and that Butler could be a casualty of that approach.
"If they're failing expectations and they're a bottom team in the West by the trade deadline, you're going to see them sell," Siegel said. You may see Jimmy Butler in the final year of his contract be traded. You may see some other guys around Steph be moved around so they can accumulate assets to really tackle the 2027 off-season hard."
Even if Butler returns on Christmas Day against the Denver Nuggets -- which appears the most optimistic but still unlikely return date -- that will still be over 30 games into the season. Should the Warriors be multiple games below .500 at that stage, it might be simply too far back to make any kind of meaningful run, and could lead to the sellers approach Siegel floats.
Jimmy Butler might not hold enough value for Warriors to trade
While Butler will have almost assuredly returned by the February mid-season deadline, there may not be enough time to really showcase him to other teams. A selling approach suggests Golden State would be looking to add future assets, but who's giving up something of significance for a 37-year-old Butler on an expiring contract?
That makes a trade difficult to envisage unless the Warriors are the buyers which would see them include assets while using Butler largely as the matching salary. However, there may be no point of exploring that pathway if Golden State's playoff hopes are all but over by February.
While the prominent focus remains on Butler's return from injury, it's hard to ignore a look ahead to what his future looks like at the deadline, and then free agency next year if he's still a member of the Warriors entering the summer.
