How will Warriors move forward from Jimmy Butler injury? 

The Golden State Warriors lost Jimmy Butler for the season this week. Even with Steph Curry approaching his 38th birthday, the team isn't likely to make a big trade.

Insider Jake Fischer reported that the Warriors won't trade Butler before the deadline, even though they swapped De'Anthony Melton in similar circumstances last season after Melton suffered his own ACL tear. Instead, they'll keep Butler — unless a very rare opportunity comes up.

Warriors are looking for game-changers

The one exception to the Warriors' reluctance to deal Butler would be for the very top level of superstars. In terms of players who could be available, that includes Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James — and no one else.

Butler's $56.8M salary for next year makes him very difficult to trade, though it becomes easier in the summer. With James and Antetokounmpo each making over $50M, Butler's contract is almost a necessary piece for salary-matching purposes. The issue is that Antetokounmpo has not requested a trade and declared two weeks ago that he wasn't going to.

James has hinted at unhappiness with the Los Angeles Lakers, but it's far more likely he'd change teams as an unrestricted free agent this summer than by a trade in the next two weeks, especially with the Lakers in fifth place. James might consider joining the Warriors for the 2026-27 season, but his title chances with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves this year are better than if he jumped to Golden State.

The Warriors appear to prefer keeping the injured Butler to making trades for other big-money stars, like the injured Anthony Davis or the Sacramento Kings duo of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.

Jonathan Kuminga might stay put as well

The Butler injury has removed the urgency the Warriors may have had to move their fifth-year forward, Jonathan Kuminga. He requested a trade Jan. 15. the first day he was eligible after signing a two-year deal before the season. Kuminga returned to the Warriors rotation Tuesday after sitting for a full month, scoring 20 points in a Warriors loss.

With a healthy Butler, the Warriors could convince themselves that using Kuminga's contract to get another frontline player alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green could make them a dangerous playoff team. Without him, the Warriors might choose to simply pick up Kuminga's $24.3M team option to use it in a deal during the summer.

That would be disappointing to Kuminga, but in the words of Don Draper, "That's what the money's for!"

That's why there's been little more discussion about the Warriors trading for Michael Porter, Jr. of the Brooklyn Nets, a deal that could also be revisited during the summer.

Golden State isn't a playoff threat without Butler and they don't have realistic options to become one before the Feb. 5 deadline. Expect patience, a play-in berth and for general manager Mike Dunleavy, Jr. to start working the phones in late June — especially if the Warriors have a lottery pick to trade.