Golden State Warriors are reportedly keen to pair marquee point guard Steph Curry with a $146 million NBA star Jimmy Butler from Miami Heat.
According to The Athletic, Warriors executives are exploring the possibility of offloading Jonathan Kuminga who has scored 15 points, four rebounds, and two assists per game on average in his last three outings, in favor of someone who would provide greater weaponry with Curry.
One of the players Warriors has identified to do that is Butler, who signed a $146 million deal with the Heat, but becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer as he’s two years into the three-year contract.
Kuminga could be a sweetener in a trade, The Athletic reported, as the Warriors seemingly elected not to new his contract at the deadline for deals October 21. The Athletic indicated that no deal was ever “that close.”
The 35-year-old veteran Butler, meanwhile, has posted per game average stats of 16.8 points per game, five rebounds, and six assists in the 2024-2025 season so far. A six-time NBA all-star, Butler is a point-scorer but has shown, in recent years, more interest to make plays for his teammates — something which could benefit Curry.
“Jimmy Butler, he is going to play out next season under his current contract with the Heat,” NBA insider Shams Charania told Stadium earlier this year. And, while that might sound like a positive for the Warriors, Charania added that, at that time — June — he had heard Butler would not be recommitting to the Heat or, indeed, signing with another franchise, any time soon.
“I’m told he will not be signing an extension with the Heat, or any other team ahead of his opt-out in 2025 ahead of his free agency,” Charania said. “I’m told Jimmy Butler is absolutely determined to have a big season next year and set himself up for a major payday in 2025 free agency when he can sign a deal four years up to $240 million.”
As for Curry and the Warriors, well, they’ve gotten off to a great start in the season so far, going 4-1 as head coach Steve Kerr tinkers with his rotation to determine his optimal five.
It is imperative that the Warriors soon have everything they need as the schedule gets increasingly tougher for the Warriors in the weeks and months ahead. Warriors travel to Toyota Center for a match at Houston Rockets on Saturday, ahead of other critical games against Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Oklahoma Thunder.