Updated Warriors Trade Rumors After Jimmy Butler ACL Tear

The Golden State Warriors have been in the middle of tons of NBA trade rumors this season. Most of that has been because of Jonathan Kuminga. The Warriors have been trying to trade Kuminga ever since last season but just haven’t been able to find the right suitor or price. On Monday night, everything changed for the Warriors. When their second-best player, Jimmy Butler, tore his ACL, the rumors started up about possible Butler trades. 

Shams Charania wondered who the Warriors could target now that Butler is out. 

“Does a player, say DeMar DeRozan, does that fit the bill of what the Warriors could need without Jimmy Butler. But one way or another, the Warriors are about to find out where they stand with Jonathan Kuminga this season.”

Marc Spears reported, "We don't see Butler getting traded. One GM told me he says doubtful. Too much money. The thing with the Warriors is I've been told that they haven't wanted to add salary.”

Trading Butler would probably be the best way for the Warriors to salvage this season. Having a player make over $60 million to sit on your bench is tough. Still, trading Butler is going to prove to be difficult. First of all, whoever trades for Butler needs to be OK with the fact that he is out for the rest of this season and part of next. Secondly, trading a player right after they tear their ACL is kind of a heartless move, not something the Warriors will want to do. 

The problem is, Stephen Curry only has a couple of good years left in him. If the Warriors are serious about giving him a chance to compete, Butler needs to go. The Warriors don’t have time to wait for Butler to recover, and unfortunately, that means they’ll need to trade him while he recovers.