NBA Trade Rumors: A surprising Western Conference contender could emerge as a potential landing spot for Jimmy Butler.
Even though the Golden State Warriors don't have much certainty heading into the offseason, they do have a certain level of flexibility. There are big questions about whether the team will be able to re-sign Klay Thompson and how the team will proceed with the Andrew Wiggins trade whispers, but it appears that the Warriors are keeping every possible avenue open to them heading into the summer.
How that will end up playing out for the Warriors remains to be seen. But the Warriors are at the point where they could be open to the possibility of big changes over the next few months. One interesting player who could, somewhat surprisingly, be on the team's radar is Jimmy Butler.
According to Warriors reporter Anthony Slater, Jimmy is a player that Golden State could express interest in pursuing on the trade market. It's hard to predict to what extent the Warriors would be interested, but according to Slater, the belief is that they would at least test the trade waters if he were to become available.
While it would be surprising if Jimmy was traded this offseason, that is not completely off the table with how recent reporting has been trending for the Miami Heat.
What will the Golden State Warriors' priority be heading into the NBA offseason?
At this point, you'd have to wonder what the priority will be for the Warriors heading into the start of the offseason. The Warriors have the assets to make a pretty big move this offseason. But, especially when it comes to Jimmy, Golden State has to decide if this move would be the needle-moving trade that would significantly raise this team's ceiling heading into next season.
With the moves that the Warriors have made recently, or the ones they haven't, it seems like they're going to attempt to extend their championship window with this core. Finding the right move to accomplish that will be the difficulty for the Warriors heading into the offseason.
Could Jimmy be that missing piece that the Warriors need? Possibly. Though his injury issues have to be a concern. But in theory, a veteran star like Jimmy is the exact trade target that Golden State will likely have this summer.
And if a potential Andrew Wiggins and pieces for Jimmy swap would make sense for both the Warriors and Heat, perhaps it's not that outlandish of a scenario.