Jimmy Butler Trade Rumors: Warriors in pole position for 6x All-Star, potentially adding co-star for Steph Curry
This week, Jimmy Butler's name has been in headlines time and time again as rumors fly regarding his future with the Miami Heat. After the team didn't offer him a max extension this offseason, there has been plenty of talk speculating Butler being traded before the Feb. 6 deadline.
While Shams Charania and Butler's agent have gone back and forth over whether or not the Phoenix Suns were in the mix to land the six-time All-Star, it sounds like Golden State is another possibility. On Friday, ClutchPoints' insider Brett Siegel reported that Butler and the Warriors have mutual interest.
Of course, the big question is whether or not Miami is ready to part ways with Butler given the team's four-game win streak. If the Heat decide to keep him, they run the risk of him opting out of the final year of his deal and hitting free agency.
According to Siegel, Golden State was one of the teams to reach out to Miami about a potential trade this offseason, but nothing came to fruition. Now, with Golden State looking to make a big acquisition in hopes of a playoff push and land a star next to Steph Curry, it sounds like there's mutual interest between the two sides.
Whether or not the Heat are interested, of course, is another story.
"Andrew Wiggins would need to be included" - NBA insider Brett Siegel discusses possible trade packages for Jimmy Butler
If the Miami Heat do decide that they're ready to engage in trade talks for Jimmy Butler, the next hurdle to Golden State acquiring the six-time All-Star would be the actual deal itself.
According to Brett Siegel, Andrew Wiggins would have to be included in any potential deal. As we saw over the summer, Golden State has been hesitant to include Wiggins, or young standouts such as Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga in trade talks.
As Siegel wrote:
"Along with Wiggins, [DeAnthony] Melton's contract would be attached to said trade package, along with either Gary Payton II or Buddy Hield."
In this case, Golden State would still be able to retain Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski, however, it would likely have to give up draft picks to make the deal happen.
Add onto that the fact that Jimmy Butler only has one year left on his contract, and Golden State will be faced with a tough decision as it weighs whether or not it wants to go all-in on what could be one year of Butler.
If the Warriors do, they will then be faced with another tough decision, whether or not to extend Butler, who was reportedly seeking a max extension from Miami this summer.
With plenty of factors in play, only time will tell how things play out for Jimmy Butler and the Warriors.