Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are currently in the midst of what figures to be a highly important offseason as for the future direction of their franchise following a highly disappointing 2023-24 campaign. The Warriors were not even able to get themselves a playoff berth this year despite Curry's continued brilliance, ultimately losing to the Sacramento Kings in a blowout in the first play-in game and beginning this consequential offseason way earlier than expected.
The Warriors are expected to be players on both the free agent and trade markets this offseason as they seek to wring whatever they can out of however many years Curry has left playing at an elite level.
One player who could potentially become a trade candidate this offseason is Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler, who was forced to miss his team's first-round loss to the Boston Celtics due to an injury sustained in the play-in vs the Philadelphia 76ers, and if the latest reports are any indication, the Warriors could be interested in Butler's services should he become available.
“We discussed some of the Warriors’ options on our offseason preview podcast,” reported NBA insider Anthony Slater of The Athletic, via the New York Times. “Two quick situations of note: If Brandon Ingram hits the trade market, I would not expect the Warriors to show interest. If the Heat shop Jimmy Butler, I would expect the Warriors to enter the conversation to at least some degree.”
What should the Warriors do?
Wing depth has been a definite weak point for the Warriors since they last hoisted the championship trophy in 2022 vs the Boston Celtics. In that series, Andrew Wiggins arguably outplayed Celtics star Jayson Tatum but has been on a steady decline in the two years since, suffering through injuries, prolonged absences, and wildly inconsistent play that has at times had fans questioning if the 29-year-0ld may already be past his prime.
One rare bright spot for the Warriors in 2023-24 was the emergence of Jonathan Kuminga as a legitimate two-way force, an athletic rim runner who also showed increase defensive instincts and jump-shooting ability on the offensive end. Still, outside of him, the Warriors don't have many great options on the wing, especially considering the downward trajectory that Klay Thompson sure seems to be on.
All these things considered, it would certainly make sense for the Warriors to at least consider throwing their hat into the Jimmy Butler sweepstakes if there is one to be had. At 34 years old, Butler is no longer an elite athlete and is also very prone to injury at this stage of his career, but he still possesses the skills and physicality to be a force when he's on the floor, with a game that would figure to age well due to the fact that it doesn't rely very heavily on athleticism.
In any case, the Warriors will have several consequential decisions to make this offseason, and there's a real chance that the team could look drastically different once the 2024-25 season gets underway in October.
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