Jimmy Butler has been the face of the Miami Heat since joining the franchise in 2019. Since then, he has been successful in guiding them to two NBA Finals, unfortunately coming up short on both occasions. His long-term future might not be in South Beach though and the Golden State Warriors are the latest team to be linked with him.
It is not hard to see why the Warriors might have an eye on Butler’s situation. He will be a free agent next summer if he decides to turn down his player option with the Heat. If rumors are accurate then Butler was looking for a max extension this summer. The Heat seemingly had doubts about that, largely as a result of his injury history. According to Taylor Wirth on NBC Sports, The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported on a recent episode of “The TK Show” with Tim Kawakami: “You need the wheels to fall off somewhere. “Not free agency-wise, talking trade-wise.
A couple guys who come to mind, Jimmy Butler is going to be a free agent next summer. Didn’t get an extension done. The Warriors, as you know, have interest there and I think probably made a couple calls during the summer. That name comes to mind.”
Butler might be exactly what the Warriors need following the departure of Klay Thompson this summer. The dynasty might be over but they will surely try to remain in contention, as Steph Curry only has a few prime years left on the court. Arkay has suggested the idea of a trade on TWSN that would see the Warriors receive Butler while the Heat would get Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Kevon Looney, 2025 first-round pick and 2027 first-round pick.
Of course, one has to wonder whether the Warriors would even be open to the idea of trading Kuminga after his excellent 2023-24 season. It is believed that the Warriors view Kuminga as part of their present and future, and were not ready to include him as part of a Paul George trade this summer. Then again, the longer the Warriors are unable to bring in another superstar to back up Curry, the more the pressure will be on them to make something happen.