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The Golden State Warriors‘ unwillingness to move either Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler III is reportedly creating “a predicament” for the franchise in their pursuit of roster upgrades ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the Warriors recently turned down a potential deal for Anthony Davis, as they refused to include either Green or Butler along with Jonathan Kuminga’s two-year contract.
“…The Warriors might have to accept the fact that this current group — by and large — is going to be it,” Amick reported on Dec. 31.
“Here’s why: Team sources say they’re staunchly against the notion of trading either Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler, which creates quite a predicament when you’re trying to match salaries of high-level players.”
Warriors Trade Assets
Further to Amick’s point, either Green ($25.8M) or Butler ($54.1M) could be the key to Golden State bringing back a high-level player, especially when attached with Kuminga ($22.5M) and up to three tradeable first-round picks. The Warriors also have the salaries of Moses Moody ($11.5M) and Buddy Hield ($9.2M) to use in potential deals, but insiders close to the team suggest that neither player has much trade value.
“A Butler-for-Davis swap works financially, as the Warriors forward also makes $54.1 million this season, but Golden State has shown no interest in making such a move,” Amick wrote, explaining why the Warriors pulled the plug on a deal for Davis.
Warriors Going Down With the Ship?
It’s worth noting that Green, Butler and Stephen Curry’s contracts are all aligned, possibly making them free agents in 2027. While Green has a Player Option worth $25.8M for the 2026-27 season, he is expected to exercise the same to ride it out for at least one more year with the franchise that drafted him in 2012.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr made that much clear during a recent news conference.
“My No. 1 goal, honestly, is for (Green) to finish his career as a Warrior with us fighting, metaphorically, not literally fighting and competing together until we’re both gone,” Kerr said on Dec. 22 following his shouting match on the bench with Green.
In the lead-up to the 2025-26 season, several reports suggested that the Warriors had internally given the trio of Curry, Green and Butler a two-year window that expires in 2027, following which they could start anew and alter course. As such, it would perfectly explain why they remain staunchly against moving Green or Butler.
“[The Warriors] want to maintain maximum flexibility for that 2027 summer (as it stands, they only have [Moses] Moody’s $13.4 million and [Buddy] Hield’s $10 million player option on the books by then),” Amick reported on Sept. 16, 2025.
“The Warriors, who are well aware that Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Denver’s Nikola Jokić both have player options for the 2027-28 season, are hardly alone on this star-hunting front.
“High-profile teams like the Lakers and Clippers have sent similar signals in recent months.”
As Amick noted, the Clippers and Lakers are also projected to have more than $100M in cap space in 2027, when the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns and Donovan Mitchell could all become free agents. League insiders expect that summer to rock the foundation of the league.