Pause, time-out! Everyone just calm down and take a deep breath. The bonkers trade window is now behind us, but our brains are numb from what just happened. The actual MVP of the whole trade saga, Jimmy Butler, finally has a new home, as he has called himself a Warrior since his deadline day move to the Golden State Warriors. While that adds a significant amount of juice to Steve Kerr’s arsenal, the loss of Andrew Wiggins is still fresh in the memory (he’s gone to the Heat, in case you’re wondering). All eyes are now shifting towards the buyout candidates and one specific name could cause further agony in the Dubs’ ranks.

According to reports, long-time Warriors target Bojan Bogdanovic is set to hit the buyout market. The Nets guard is yet to play this season due to left foot surgery. Though he is cleared for hardwood workouts, his return date remains unclear. Also, the Croatian is in the final year of his $39 million contract and still owed $19,032,850! Since he reached a buyout deal with the Nets, seven other teams cannot sign him.

Due to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Celtics, Nuggets, Lakers, Bucks, Wolves, Knicks, and Suns wouldn’t be able to sign him due to their first apron situation. But how is it for Joe Lacob’s team?

Anyone with a mid-level contract above $12.8 million will have the same issue when finding their next destination. The good news for the Warriors, they can sign Bogdanovic. Bad news, that’ll push the Dubs over the first apron. Currently, after the Butler move, the Warriors are only $1.3 million below the first apron.

Now what sort of issues does a team face if it goes into the second apron? Teams in the second apron face multiple CBA restrictions. They cannot use mid-level exceptions in free agency, trade exceptions from previous years, or combine multiple players’ salaries in trades. They also lose first-round picks, sign-and-trade ability, and cash-in trades, along with facing financial fines.

The Warriors will be wary of that despite their willingness to maximize the Stephen Curry window. With Bogdanovic joining the buy-out market, they’ll need to find alternatives to address a major concern in the team.

Warriors missing out on Bojan Bogdanovic worsens Steve Kerr’s problems

The Warriors are 25-26 this season so far, something that irritates Joe Lacob. Jimmy Butler has joined to bolster their playoff push but a key fragility in the team remains — the scoring options from the bench. Apart from Stephen Curry, there has been a massive lack of scoring on the Warriors side. Andrew Wiggins, who was averaging 17.6 points per night, is no longer there. So who steps up?

Again, Brandin Podziemski has been underwhelming. Kuminga has been inconsistent with occasional injury concerns, with an unclear contract situation. Buddy Hield has cooled off, Dennis Schroder and Kyle Anderson were moved out. This creates a huge vacuum in the team for scoring options and Butler alone is not a 30-point contributor. But there was this hope.

Bogdanovic proved last season that he still is a respectable scorer off the bench. With the Knicks, he impressed with 15.2 PPG from 39.8% shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. His contribution was also decent against the 76ers in the first round of Eastern Conference playoffs. Hence, once he returns to full fitness, Bogdanovic will be an asset for any contending team.

Curry made it very clear to the front office how ‘Mid’ they are and he is in serious need of help. Steve Kerr so far has failed to find an option alongside the veteran leader and the buy-out market could be one way of getting that solved. But will the Warriors take that risk of the dreaded second apron? That’s one test of dare left the Bay Area execs.