With Jimmy Butler expected to test free agency in 2025, the Miami Heat may not have much in trades involving the superstar wing ahead of the February 6 deadline. As such, the Warriors — among the teams Butler is said to be interested in — may not have to part with a ton of assets to land him.
With that backdrop, ESPN proposed a three-team Warriors trade that would see the franchise land Butler without giving up Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski.
Warriors would receive: Jimmy Butler
Heat would receive: Kyle Anderson, Gary Payton II, Andrew Wiggins, 2025 Warriors first-round pick (top-4 protected), 2028 Warriors first-round pick
Pistons would receive: Kevon Looney, 2026 Lakers second-round pick (via Heat)
ESPN’s Bobby Marks explained why the Warriors would have to give up a lot of their roster depth due to the complicated new CBA.
“To take back the Butler salary, the Warriors would need to send out at least four players and remain under the first apron after their roster is filled out,” he wrote.
Will Butler Move the Needle?
Discussing the same Warriors trade pitch, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton explained why the move bodes well for all parties involved.
“From a financial standpoint, Miami probably would be best off prioritizing shorter contracts around Wiggins as a Butler replacement,” Pelton wrote. “That means most of the value to the Heat here is in two first-round picks, though they have to give up a second-rounder to shed Looney’s salary and make this trade legal.
Blue Man Hoop’s Peter O’Keefe also weighed in on the proposed Warriors trade, stressing that Golden State may be desperate enough to pull the trigger.
“As for the trade itself, it’s one Golden State may be desperate enough to swing for given their recent struggles,” O’Keefe wrote. “[Andrew] Wiggins has been one of the few shining lights for them though, meaning they’ll certainly wrestle with the idea of trading him, draft assets and additional rotation players for a 35-year-old Butler.”
Should Warriors Trade the Farm?
“Perhaps it’s not a trade the Warriors would pull the trigger on tomorrow, but it is one that will come further into calculations if their slide continues and they put up more performances like that of Thursday against the Grizzlies,” he added.
Unlike the aforementioned trade that ships out four key rotational players — Wiggins, Looney, Payton II and Anderson– besides draft picks, the Warriors could also take the simpler route of trading either Kuminga or Podziemski, to go with Wiggins’ contract, to lower Miami’s asking price.
During the 2024 offseason, the Warriors were hesitant to part with either youngster for trades involving Paul George and Lauri Markkanen. However, their stance on trading Kuminga and Podziemski has since changed, according to Brett Siegel of Clutch Points.
“There is certainly more of a willingness to discuss their young core of Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and Brandin Podziemski in trade discussions than ever before, sources said, opening several possibilities for how the Warriors could attack the trade deadline,” Siegel wrote on December 20.
The Warriors’ willingness to potentially trade Kuminga and Podziemski could also open the door to other possibilities due to the trade value possessed by both youngsters.
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