Warriors could pay for Jimmy Butler trade stance that makes absolutely zero sense

The Golden State Warriors will start the regular season already shorthanded. 

Kristaps Porzingis is out indefinitely with an undisclosed issue. Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are set to miss huge chunks of the season as they rehab from major injuries. Even Stephen Curry sprained his ankle, though he's expected to play in the season opener.

But of those players, it is Butler whose absence is most felt. After all, he could return as late as February, and at that point, the Warriors might no longer be in the playoff picture. 

Given his current status, it makes absolutely no sense that the Warriors reportedly turned down trade pursuits for other superstars under the belief that a healthy Butler is better for them.

Warriors not trading Jimmy Butler for other stars is a huge mistake

As reported by ESPN's Anthony Slater, Golden State's brain trust refused to include Butler in trade packages for Jaylen Brown and Anthony Davis, believing that Butler, when healthy, is the more superior player to both of them. 

Well, the Warriors might need a lobotomy after that one. Butler is still an All-Star caliber player, but the team would have been in much better position to bolster its title hopes if it added one of those players instead of the injured forward.

Davis would have been a fantastic fit for the Dubs. Aside from the team needing a starting-caliber big man, bringing him in would have strengthened their bid to sign LeBron James.

Brown, who ended up landing with the 76ers thanks to relative chump change, was a real MVP candidate just last season. With his scoring acumen and two-way brilliance, he would have extended this team's championship window.

The Warriors could still get vindicated for their decision not to trade Jimmy Butler but right now, that choice seems so arbitrary that it frankly makes little sense. Until and unless the six-time All-Star plays up to the level the franchise seems him at, this will subsist as a major mistake waiting to blow up in their faces.