3 reasons the Warriors shouldn't trade for Jimmy Butler

Long before this latest chapter in the ongoing saga between the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler began, the Golden State Warriors were seen as one of the likeliest trade destinations for the six-time NBA All-Star and were reportedly one of his preferred destinations.

Some of those rumors subsided when Pat Riley announced that the Heat would not be parting ways with Butler on December 26 but picked right back up five days later when the 35-year-old said he was uncertain whether he wanted to remain in Miami.

A day later, on January 1, Butler was accused of not giving his all against the New Orleans Pelicans, prompting him to request a trade a day later. And one day after that, on January 3, he was suspended for seven games due to instances of conduct detrimental to the team throughout this 2024-25 campaign. Miami also said they “will listen to offers” since Butler has requested a trade.

So, after all that, Butler seems to be back on the table. But the Warriors need to stay as far away from this situation as possible for several reasons.

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The Warriors would have to give up too much in a trade for Jimmy Butler

Back in mid-December, when the Warriors were viewed as the favorites to land Butler, we took a look at what Golden State might have to give up in order to acquire him.

And given what we thought Miami would want, both Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga were included in the deal, as were Moses Moody and De'Anthony Melton.

Melton's no longer an option, as he was shipped to the Brooklyn Nets in the Dennis Schroder deal, but the other three are still in play, and it legitimately might take that much for the Heat to consider dealing Butler.

And just as we said then, this is just far too much for the Warriors to give up. Even including one of either Wiggins or Kuminga in a trade doesn't make much sense from a statistical standpoint, and including both in a deal to get maybe a year and a half out of Butler would be a monumental mistake on Golden State's part.

The financial aspect alone doesn't make sense for a 35-year-old who's prone to injury

The financial issues that come with acquiring Butler don't make sense for the Warriors either.

Butler is making more than $48.7 million this season (minus the $2,355,798 he's losing during this suspension) and has a player option on his contract for 2025-26 for north of $52.4 million.

For starters, he's simply not worth that type of money at this stage of his career and would likely want even more in an extension, given how the market is today.

To even have a chance of making things work financially, the Warriors would have to unload the contracts of Wiggins or Draymond Green, perhaps even both, and in no way, shape, or form should the Dubs be willing to do that. Not for a guy who's only played more than 60 games once since joining the Heat in 2019 and might not be available come playoff time.

Simply put, Butler isn't worth the headache

When healthy, Butler is still a very good player, but it's no secret that his best years are long behind him.

But even beyond the decline in productivity or the injury issues, the fact of the matter is that Butler, who can be extremely likable a lot of the time and still seems to enjoy the game, has been a bit of a headache wherever he's gone throughout his career.

He clashed with teammates while with the Chicago Bulls, which got him traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The same issue came about with the Wolves, which got him sent to the Philadelphia 76ers. Disagreements with the front office were obviously a thing in Philly as well, and now there's all this drama with the Heat.

Again, it's just not worth the hassle for the Warriors at this point to entertain any thoughts of trading for Jimmy Butler.