Warriors may have a Jimmy Butler trade problem nobody anticipated

The Warriors seemingly have all the ingredients necessary to make another major trade.

Jimmy Butler has a massive expiring contract. Golden State has first-round picks available to sweeten an offer. And with Stephen Curry now 38, there isn’t much reason to spend another season waiting around.

There’s just one problem: Somebody has to actually want Butler.

Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports reports that Butler’s name was discussed around the league as a potential trade piece this offseason, particularly after the veteran forward tore his ACL in January.

But according to an NBA executive who spoke with Deveney, moving Butler isn’t nearly as simple as attaching draft picks to his $57 million expiring contract and bringing back another star.

“I think a lot of people looked at it and said he has the (expiring) contract, they have picks, they can just put it together and get a star,” the executive told Deveney.

Anthony Davis was among the prominent names mentioned in such scenarios. But the executive raised the question that matters most: What exactly is the other team supposed to do with Butler?

He’s 36, recovering from a torn ACL and may not be ready until well into the season. He’ll also become a free agent next summer and presumably will want another contract.

In another era, perhaps a rebuilding team happily takes Butler, waits out the contract and collects Golden State’s draft picks for its trouble. As the executive told Deveney, though, the NBA’s new anti-tanking measures have changed that calculation.

That’s where things get complicated for Golden State. The Warriors need another impact player while Curry can still play at an elite level. Butler’s contract theoretically provides the vehicle to acquire one.

But an expiring contract isn’t especially valuable when nobody wants the player attached to it.

Golden State may have trade ammunition. Finding someone willing to take it could be the harder part.