The Warriors are trying to make one last monster move around Stephen Curry. Draymond Green just declined his $27.7 million player option, and that opened a different type of path for the franchise. The idea isn’t only to dump salary. It is to create enough flexibility to chase a huge trade and then recruit LeBron James.
Kevin O’Connor reported that the Warriors want to trade for Anthony Davis from the Wizards, then use Davis as part of the pitch to bring LeBron in free agency. That would give the Warriors a wild veteran core of Curry, LeBron, Green, and Davis. Old, expensive, risky, but also very scary in a playoff series if the bodies hold up.
The issue is Jimmy Butler. He is 37, coming off a torn right ACL, and owed $56.8 million in 2026-27. That contract is huge, but it is also expiring. For the Warriors, Butler’s salary can be the bridge to Davis. For another team, Butler can be a one-year bet if the Warriors attach a first-round pick.
That is the key. Nobody should take Butler just because of the name now. This isn’t 2020 Butler. This isn’t 2023 playoff Butler. This is an injured older star with one massive year left. The first-round pick is the reason to listen.
Here are five NBA teams that should go all-in for Jimmy Butler if the Warriors attach a first-round pick.
5. Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards Receive: Jimmy Butler, 2031 first-round pick swap
Golden State Warriors Receive: Anthony Davis
The Wizards are the most obvious team because this is the direct Anthony Davis trade. The whole Warriors plan starts here. If they can’t get Davis, the LeBron dream gets much weaker. If they can get Davis, they can sell LeBron on one last title run with Curry, Green, and Davis.
For the Wizards, this only makes sense if the season starts badly and Davis pushes toward a contender. Washington just went 17-65, so the pressure is already there. They added AJ Dybantsa at No. 1, re-signed Trae Young to a four-year, $212.0 million deal, and still have Alex Sarr as a young defensive piece. That is a real attempt to speed up the build, but it still may not be enough for Davis.
Davis is owed $58.5 million in 2026-27 and has a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28. That is a huge number for a big man who will be 34 during the season. He still produced like a star, with 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.7 blocks on 50.6% from the field in 2025-26. The player is still very good. The timeline is the problem.
Butler gives the Wizards a different type of salary. His $56.8 million deal expires after the season. That means Washington can take the Warriors’ first-round pick, avoid a long Davis extension, and get off the money faster. Butler also doesn’t need to be part of the future. If he returns well from the ACL, the Wizards can showcase him. If he looks cooked, they can ride out the contract and move on.
The 2031 first-round pick is the main prize. A Warriors pick after Curry’s prime could have serious value. Curry will be retired in 2031. LeBron, if he signs, won’t be there. Davis could be gone or retired. That pick could become much better than a normal contender first-round pick.
This trade is not perfect for the Wizards because there isn’t a young player coming back. But if Davis wants out, this is a logical exit: one expiring star salary, one useful veteran, one first-round pick, one swap, and a reset away from a very expensive older big.
4. Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls Receive: Jimmy Butler, 2028 first-round pick
Golden State Warriors Receive: Patrick Williams, Isaac Okoro, Jalen Smith, Tre Jones
The Bulls make sense because they’re in that awkward middle ground: not good, but not fully committed to tearing everything down either. They finished 31-51, 12th in the East, and still have an interesting young core with Giddey, Buzelis, Dillingham, Essengue, Caleb Wilson, and newly traded Nic Claxton.
That’s why Butler only works if the pick is included. It’s not really about what he brings on the court right now. He’s 37, coming off a torn ACL, and making $56.8M in 2026-27. That’s a massive number for someone who likely won’t start the season at full strength and won’t be the same explosive player anymore. The Bulls wouldn’t be buying the Miami version of Butler… they’d be buying the Warriors’ 2028 first-round pick.
From a salary standpoint, it works well. Patrick Williams ($18M), Okoro ($11.8M), Jalen Smith ($9.4M), and Tre Jones ($8M) combine for about $47.2M. That’s enough to absorb Butler’s contract. Golden State saves around $9.6M and, more importantly, turns one massive deal into four manageable ones.
That’s key for the Warriors. Williams is still young and brings size on the wing. Okoro is pure defense. Smith adds frontcourt depth. Jones organizes the second unit. None are stars, but they’re all useful and tradable pieces.
For Chicago, it’s simple: they get a pick that could be very valuable. By 2028, Curry will be 40, Draymond will be near retirement, and that LeBron-Davis project won’t last forever. That pick could rise significantly in value.
Meanwhile, Butler is basically a one-year experiment. If he comes back strong, he adds leadership and minutes. If not, you let the contract expire and keep the pick.
This isn’t about competing now. It’s about accumulating assets with a big name attached. And for the Bulls, that’s exactly where they should be.
3. Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte Hornets Receive: Jimmy Butler, 2028 first-round pick
Golden State Warriors Receive: Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, Grant Williams, Tre Mann
The Hornets don’t fit Butler from a basketball standpoint, but they do financially. And that’s what matters here. They’ve already traded LaMelo Ball to the Timberwolves and later Miles Bridges to the Suns, so it’s clear: they’re rebuilding around Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Naz Reid, Coby White, and draft capital.
That’s why the Warriors’ pick is everything. Butler isn’t coming in to push them to the playoffs. He’s coming in with a one-year expiring contract attached to a pick. If he plays late in the season, great. If not, they clear the salary in 2027 and move on.
This also helps Golden State reduce spending. Grayson Allen ($18.1M), Royce O’Neale ($10.9M), Grant Williams ($14.3M), and Tre Mann ($8M) total about $51.3M. Butler makes $56.8M, so the Warriors save around $5.5M and receive four smaller contracts.
It’s not perfect, but it’s far more useful than keeping Butler. Allen provides consistent shooting with a career-high 16.5 points on 35% from deep last year (which is extremely valuable next to Curry). O’Neale is a solid 3-and-D wing who posted 9.8 points on 40.8% from three. Grant Williams brings physicality and versatility. Mann can handle the ball off the bench as a spark plug the Warriors have desperately needed for years.
Most importantly, those pieces can be moved later. Butler is a massive contract that’s hard to trade. These four are much easier to use in future deals.
For Charlotte, this is essentially buying a pick. They already got a 2033 first-rounder in the Bridges trade, and now they add a 2028 pick from a team that could decline sharply. That’s exactly the kind of bet a rebuilding team should make.
And they don’t touch their key young players. Miller, Knueppel, Reid, Salaun… all stay. It’s not the flashiest trade, but it’s smart. The Hornets aren’t trying to win this deal today. They’re trying to win it in 2028, while the Warriors keep aiming for a deeper, more versatile roster to contend next season.
2. Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies Receive: Jimmy Butler, 2028 first-round pick
Golden State Warriors Receive: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Isaiah Stewart, Ty Jerome
The Grizzlies make much sense with this structure. They have something many teams don’t: financial flexibility. They have around $15.9M in cap space and a large trade exception. That allows them to absorb Butler without overcomplicating things.
Butler is owed $56.8 million in 2026-27. Caldwell-Pope is at $21.6 million, Isaiah Stewart is around $15.0 million, and Ty Jerome is at $9.2 million. That puts the outgoing salary around $45.8 million. The Grizzlies have enough room and trade flexibility to cover the gap, so the Warriors save roughly $11.0 million instead of just moving Butler sideways.
That number is the whole point for the Warriors. If they are trying to build the Curry, LeBron, Draymond, and Anthony Davis idea, they need to remove Butler’s giant salary slot. They also need playable contracts back, not dead money. Caldwell-Pope, Stewart, and Jerome give them that.
Caldwell-Pope is the easiest fit. He isn’t a star, but he is a playoff wing who knows his job. He defends guards, runs the floor, spaces the floor, and doesn’t need touches. That type of player is useful around Curry and Davis because the ball will already be with the stars.
Stewart gives the Warriors a physical frontcourt piece. The Grizzlies just got him from the Pistons after he posted 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in 58 games last season. He isn’t a perfect center for every lineup, but he gives strength, screens, rebounds, and defensive toughness. If the Warriors are moving big salaries and trying to survive an old roster, that type of body helps.
Jerome is the third contract and gives them guard depth. He can run a second unit, play next to Curry for short stretches, and keep the offense organized when the stars sit. Again, this isn’t star value. It is about smaller salaries that are much easier to keep or move later.
For the Grizzlies, this is about the pick. They went 25-57, 13th in the West, and drafted Cameron Boozer at No. 3. Their timeline changed. Boozer, Zach Edey, Santi Aldama, Cedric Coward, and the young wings are the main pieces. They shouldn’t be trading those guys for Butler. This deal keeps the real core untouched while they canvass the market for a Ja Morant trade.
Butler is the price of doing business. He is 37, coming off a torn right ACL, and may not be ready early in the season. If he comes back and gives them tough wing minutes, fine. If not, his contract expires in 2027, and the Grizzlies still own the Warriors’ 2028 first-round pick.
This version works for both sides. The Warriors save about $11.0 million and get three usable smaller contracts. The Grizzlies buy a potentially valuable first-round pick with one year of Butler’s salary. That is a good choice to make.
1. Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Jimmy Butler, 2028 first-round pick
Golden State Warriors Receive: LeBron James
The Lakers are No. 1 because this is the only Butler trade that can directly complete the Warriors’ big plan. This isn’t about Butler helping the Lakers win. It is about using his expiring salary as the bridge for LeBron James if he decides he wants the Warriors.
If LeBron takes the mid-level exception, this deal isn’t needed. But that is a big pay cut. If he wants more money and still wants to join Curry, Draymond Green, and Anthony Davis, the sign-and-trade route becomes the logical option. That is where Butler’s $56.8 million expiring contract has value.
The Lakers have Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves as the new offensive base. Reaves already got a four-year, $185.0 million max deal, so the franchise direction is different now. LeBron can still help a contender, but the Lakers don’t have to shape every move around him anymore if he wants another situation.
That is why this framework makes sense if LeBron asks out. The Lakers would not be choosing Butler over LeBron. They would be getting something back instead of letting LeBron leave with no return. Butler is 37, coming off a torn right ACL, and shouldn’t be viewed as a long-term piece. The contract expires in 2027, and that cap relief might come in very handy.
For the Warriors, this is the dream outcome. They move Butler’s injured $56.8 million salary and turn it into LeBron. Then the roster becomes Curry, LeBron, Draymond, and potentially Davis with a different trade. It is old and risky, but it has elite passing, shot creation, size, and playoff experience. That group would not need 82-game dominance. It would be built for matchups and half-court possessions.
LeBron still had strong production in 2025-26: 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists on 51.5% from the field. He isn’t the same athlete, but he can still run offense, punish switches, pass out of the post, and control tempo. Next to Curry and Davis, he wouldn’t need to carry the scoring every night.
The Lakers get the first-round pick as payment for helping the Warriors finish the move. That pick is valuable because this Warriors plan is short-term by nature. It depends on older stars, health, and one fast title window. If it breaks fast, the Lakers own the upside.
This is the best Butler destination because it isn’t really a Butler destination. It is a LeBron sign-and-trade. The Lakers get an expiring contract and a first-round pick. The Warriors get the final piece for the Curry-LeBron-Draymond-Davis swing.
