NBA betting sites show the Golden State Warriors as the frontrunner to land Miami Heat star forward Jimmy Butler before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, but the Warriors might not end up being a significant player in the Butler sweepstakes.
Warriors Trade Rumors: Golden State Is Focused On Acquiring A Center, Not Miami Heat Star Jimmy Butler
ESPN’s Marc Spears reported during Tuesday’s edition of NBA Today that acquiring a center is a bigger priority for Golden State. Noteworthy big man targets include Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic and Washington’s Jonas Valanciunas.
“I’m hearing that the Warriors literally want to go bigger than Jimmy Butler, and what I mean by that is they’re one of the most undersized teams in the league. So, they’re trying to get a big guy to go alongside Draymond Green. People on their list include Nikola Vucevic, who has probably been the top guy on that list,” Spears said.
“Keep an eye on some guys like Walker Kessler and John Collins with the Utah Jazz. Jonas Valaciunas with the Washington Wizards. Jusuf Nurkic, I can’t see him and Draymond playing together. Maybe a bigger wish is Myles Turner, who will be an unrestricted free agent. But the Warriors do not want to trade Jonathan Kuminga, do not want to trade Andrew Wiggins. … Right now, the Warriors seem much more interested in adding a big to go alongside Green with this team than another shooting guard.”
In December, ESPN’s Shams Charania named the Warriors along with three other teams — the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and Phoenix Suns — as Butler’s preferred destinations.
Nikola Vucevic Is The Dubs’ No. 1 Target?
Of the big-man options whom Spears mentioned, the Warriors are more likely to trade for Vucevic. The 34-year-old averages a double-double per night (20.5 PPG, 10.2 RPG), and he can stretch the floor (42.4% from 3-point range) to take pressure off Steph Curry.
As for Valaciunas, the 32-year-old is averaging 11.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while shooting 55.4% from the field and a career-best 90.1% at the foul line.
Per Spotrac, Vucevic is earning $20 million this season and is slated to make $21.48 million in 2025-26. Valaciunas is making $9.9 million this campaign and is projected to earn $10.39 million next season.
Although the Warriors are wanting to retain Kuminga, they might have to move him in order to execute another trade. In addition to acquiring a big man, the Warriors could really use another superstar to pair with Curry. After starting the season 12-3, Golden State is now struggling to stay above .500 at 18-17.
