The Golden State Warriors had one of their worst seasons of the Steph Curry era last year, going 37-45 and missing the playoffs. That statement would have been unimaginable a few years ago. Curry still looked like one of the best players in basketball, averaging 26.6 points and 4.7 assists while shooting 39.3% from three-point range and earning his 12th career All-Star nod.
But the roster around him wasn’t competitive enough, and the Warriors entered the offseason needing to make a move to take advantage of what championship window Curry has left. As a result, Golden State was linked to nearly every superstar on the market, including LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. But arguably the two biggest trade targets the Warriors were connected to were Anthony Davis, particularly as a way to land LeBron, and Jaylen Brown, who ended up teaming up with LeBron in Philadelphia.
Given his contract and his talent as an experienced two-way star with a championship mindset, Jimmy Butler was naturally floated as a potential trade piece. According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, though, a trade involving Butler for either Davis or Brown was never on the table. "The Warriors didn’t show an appetite to offer Butler for Anthony Davis or Jaylen Brown this summer, considering the pick packages required and contracts attached to both," Slater wrote.
"All other Butler-plus-picks conversations -- for what the Warriors believe are ultimately lesser players once Butler returns -- were shut down, team sources said." More news: Anthony Edwards Reveals How He Really Feels About Playing With LaMelo Ball More news: Pablo Torre Shares Stunning Theory Behind LeBron James’ 76ers Move Butler tore his right ACL in January 2026, appearing in just 38 games during his second season with the Warriors. He had played well before the injury, averaging 20 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 51.9% from the field and 37.6% from three. More importantly, the Warriors were winning, going 25-13 before he went down.
But Butler is 37 and coming off a serious knee injury, and it’s fair to wonder what he’s going to look like when he returns to the court this season. Davis is still on a massive contract, set to earn around $58.5 million this season with the Wizards, and is 33 with an injury history of his own. Trading Butler plus picks for him wouldn’t have made sense for Golden State, especially since the Warriors were able to bring back Kristaps Porzingis, a slightly younger alternative with a similar skill set, on a two-year, $40 million extension this summer.
Turning down Brown for an aging and recovering Butler, though, was an interesting decision. Brown is a former Finals MVP who nearly single-handedly led the Celtics to 56 wins last season, averaging a career-high 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists on 47.7% shooting from the floor and 34.7% from deep, and he earned second-team All-NBA honors. It would have cost the Warriors picks, but even if Butler returns to last year’s form, Brown would still have been a significant improvement.
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