Veteran swingman Jimmy Butler III is owed $54.1 million by the Golden State Warriors this season, and another $56.8 million in 2026-27. However, the Warriors are clearly not getting a return on their investment.
Butler has averaged 14.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists on 41% shooting in December — production that does not justify his high price tag. During Sunday’s 136-131 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Butler shot 3-of-16 and had three turnovers.
Warriors fans on social have termed Butler one of the most “overpaid” players in the league, a claim that’s becoming harder to argue with.
“No one is talking about how jimmy butler is absolutely scamming the warriors. He’s absolutely cooked,” one fan wrote of the 36-year-old Butler.
Another fan felt that Butler had not done enough to call himself the “Robin” to Steph Curry’s “Batman” with his lackluster production this season.
“Jimmy Butler called himself Robin because Steph Curry Batman but in reality he Robin 60 mil from the warriors.”
Overpaid Jimmy Butler
Buter’s salary of $54.1 million makes him the fifth-highest paid player in the NBA this season, behind only a quartet of former MVPs — teammate Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and Kevin Durant. While Embiid has still to find his mojo amid his injury woes, Butler’s production is nowhere near that of the other three stars.
Golden State will find it very hard to move Butler’s contract ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline, especially since there’s no Team Option in the final year of his deal in 2026-27. It also doesn’t help that Butler has a notorious reputation for falling out with teams, given his past exits with the Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and Chicago Bulls.
The Warriors front office is likely regretting the high price it paid to acquire Butler from the Heat at last year’s trade deadline, not to mention signing him to a two-year, $121 million extension after he arrived from Miami. Besides his underwhelming production, Butler has struggled to stay healthy, having already missed four games this season.
Impeding Kuminga’s Growth?
Some analysts have also cited Jimmy Butler III as the main reason for Jonathan Kuminga’s inability to carve out a role in Golden State’s starting unit, given that both are non-shooters and share similar skill sets with their slashing.
In fact, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr admitted as much after the Warriors lost to the Timberwolves in last season’s playoffs. This season, Kuminga has completely dropped off the rotation, getting hit with his third consecutive healthy DNP on Sunday.
After Sunday’s loss, Kerr raised concerns about how much Butler’s game has regressed since last season.
“I thought we did a better job last year putting in a position to attack and create shots for people,” Kerr said of Butler, per ClutchPoints’ Kenzo Fukuda. “We need to get back to that type of control of the game where we’re going to him in the half court, especially when Steph’s out.”
Kerr added that he needed to put Butler in better positions to succeed.
“I got to find a way to get him more into the groove of the game.”
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