San Francisco — Golden State Warriors General manager Mike Dunleavy told reporters Tuesday night that he has no plans to move jimmy butlerDespite Butler’s torn ACL and the team’s desperate need for a roster upgrade to realistically compete in the Western Conference, the contract was signed before the February 5 trade deadline.
“I don’t envision it,” Dunleavy said. “Now that you’ve brought it up, I would say my vision for him is to promote us next year in the same way he did last year when he came in.”
The Warriors had a lower profile but a relatively similar situation played out in the previous regular season. veteran guard D’Anthony Melton Tore his ACL in November. In December, Dunleavy traded Melton’s contract. Brooklyn Nets For dennis schroder. In February, they flipped Schroder as part of a package Miami Heat To acquire Butler.
On Monday, Butler tore his right ACL on an awkward landing against the Heat. His season ended due to injury, and his absence, as Dunleavy acknowledged, is expected to bleed into the next regular season.
Butler is owed $54.1 million this season and $56.8 million in the final year of his current deal.
As the Warriors deal with the aftermath of the devastating injury news, there has been a thought that they could use his contract on the trade market – possibly with draft picks attached – as an opportunity to upgrade this win-now roster. Stephen Curry. However, Dunleavy shoots him down.
“At his age, it’s impressive for him to have the year he’s had,” Dunleavy said of Butler, who will turn 37 before next season. “I think he has a style of play that can play for a long time with his skills, his physical ability, his mind for the game. So I think my vision for him is for him to return sometime between now and this time next year.”
Butler’s injury has had an impact Jonathan KumingaThe Warriors’ troubled young wing entering Tuesday has played just 10 minutes in the past month and has piled up DNPs over the past week as the franchise issued a trade demand.
“I’m aware of [the trade demand],” Dunleavy said. “In terms of demands, when you make a demand, there has to be a demand in the market.”
As Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before Tuesday night’s game, Butler’s absence could open the door for Kuminga to play again. Toronto Raptors. Kuminga has been buried in the rotation and has been inconsistent before, only to return to a high-usage role – most notably during the second round of the playoffs last May. minnesota timberwolves After Curry strained his hamstring.
“I’m disappointed it didn’t work out better [with Kuminga],” Dunleavy said. “But it is what it is. …There’s still time left here. He’s on our roster. I know a trade has been requested, but nothing is imminent and things can change in a heartbeat in this league, as they did last night. So he has to be ready.”
The Warriors are expected to pursue Kuminga trades by the deadline, but Dunleavy said he will use the next two weeks to assess where the Warriors stand following the franchise-altering Butler injury.
He said the Warriors could opt to use some of their future first-round picks to get immediate help, but the ceiling is high for a push-the-chips deal.
“If we’re talking about trading draft picks that would be out if Steph wasn’t here, it would be a player that we think we’ll get back that would be here when those picks were going out,” Dunleavy said. “That player is going to have to be pretty impressive. It’s going to take a good amount of time – positionally, playing style, archetypes, all of that. I’ll leave it pretty broad and open.
“But if there is a great player, we have everything in the war chest that we will be willing to use.”
