Apr 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates with forward Jimmy Butler III (10) after a play during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Golden State Warriors GM Addresses Trading for Fourth NBA All-Star

Originally posted on Golden State Warriors on SI
By Farbod Esnaashari | Last updated May 17, 2025 1:54 PM ET

When healthy, the Golden State Warriors are clearly one of the best teams in the Western Conference.

However, the problem is that as the Warriors get older, it's going to be much tougher to stay healthy. That much was illustrated during the 2025 NBA playoffs, where both Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler suffered injuries.

So that issue creates the question of if the Warriors should sign-and-trade Jonathan Kuminga for another All-Star, or front court help that the team clearly needs.

During the team's exit interviews, Golden State Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. addressed the concern.

"I don't want to get caught in a situation where we give up a ton, put all our chips in, and then ten games into the season we have a catastrophic injury, there's nowhere to go, and then we're stuck for four or five years," Dunleavy said.

Mike Dunleavy Jr. says any move, especially if a big one for a star, will be done with thought of how much better it will make them. He’s not against mortgaging future if it’s right move. He doesn’t want to be caught if there’s a catastrophic injury with no future pieces either.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) May 16, 2025

"We've got to balance that well," Dunleavy added. "There are maybe going to be some risks where it would be worthwhile to do that, but that's what you've got to look at as upside, downside when you make those moves."

For as much trepidation as Warriors fans may have had about trading for Jimmy Butler, it's clear that the move was a home run. If the Warriors could figure out a way to trade for one more home run All-Star, then they'll arguably the best team in the NBA.

At the same time, depth is more important than creating a superteam.

This article first appeared on Golden State Warriors on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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