National Reporter Clears the Air Over Jimmy Butler’s Warriors Trade as Tensed Conversation Between Dubs Officials Unearthed

January 7, 2025. Venue: Chase Center, San Francisco. The Golden State Warriors were hopeful, that they wouldn’t lose a game against the Miami Heat. Why? Jimmy Butler was under his seven-game suspension. Simply put, the coach benched the big force, and the Dubs exploited the gaps. The ultimate result was a 98-114 loss against Pat Riley’s side. Given the latest rumors about the Warriors showing interest in a bidding war for the 6x All-Star, are they still on board?

The simple answer is no. No, the Dubs aren’t particularly looking into the trading scenes that involve Butler anymore. Sam Amick of The Athletic spoke on Run It Back and informed: “They don’t have interest in giving him the deal that he’s waiting for on the other end. And I don’t think they’re looking to make him a rental and have it be. You know, a strained relationship with him coming to town if they somehow were able to get him in spite of the fact that they don’t want to do a max extension.”

Maybe, the Warriors are not looking for more drama in the team as they already have a lot on their platters to deal with. The 2024-25 NBA season is far from their fairytale start and has now turned into a full-blown nightmare. Amick added: “Their reasoning for not going after Jimmy. Even beyond the money, is that to this point they’ve been pretty happy with Andrew Wiggins’s play. The idea of also giving up a Jonathan Kuminga in that deal. Even though he’s hurt right now, is something they weren’t looking to do.”

As previously mentioned, the Dubs are happy with Andrew Wiggins on the team. He has a great relationship with the management and his peers. And he’s putting up numbers when the team needs him the most. On the other hand, after a slow start to the season, Jonathan Kuminga is also doing well, although he’s injured now. But he’ll be back, soon. Steve Kerr on several occasions has clarified that they want JK around.

Having Jimmy Butler on the team could lead to drama, like with the Miami Heat. A Heavy Sports source mentioned that only a few teams are interested in a Butler trade. Most teams are shrugging it off and ignoring the idea. It’s only the Phoenix Suns who’ve shown some interest in the 35-year-old hoopster.

Now, coming back to the Golden State Warriors situation, whether or not a Jimmy Butler trade happens, the scenes within the Dubs aren’t great. Firstly, the team’s drop to tenth in the West is painful. They led early, but now, it’s pure devastation. Moreover, there’s obvious tension within the organization. Finally, internal issues are spilling into the public eye.

The tense moment among the Golden State Warriors’ higher-ups might not be about Jimmy Butler

Losing to a Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat was a major blow to the Warriors ‘ self-respect. Yes, they were planning for a big win but well, the opposite happened. Absolutely not the most ideal situation for the team as an inside rift might be coming out before the crowd.

“The other night when I’m in San Francisco they get walloped by Miami,” Sam Amick narrated. “After the game, there’s a place called The Bridge Club near the Arena floor at Chase Center. Owner Joe Lacob and GM Mike Dunleavy often meet there. And it sounds like it got a little spicy down there just as far as the post-loss unpacking of what had happened on the floor. You felt some people who walked by and even engaged with Joe and Mike could really feel the frustration from the group. That makes a lot of sense. They just got beat really badly.”

One of the many reports claims that the higher-ups Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy Jr. had an animated conversation after losing the game against the Heat on Jan 7. Meanwhile, Tim Kawaki of the San Francisco Standard also reported: “Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy Jr. in a deep conversation. Lacob was doing most of the talking. They meet after games all the time. But not usually right where we walk by.” 

The tension is clear and surely it wasn’t about why the team hasn’t signed Jimmy Butler yet. The Warriors are in muddy waters, struggling to keep their dynasty’s flag soaring high in the NBA sky. Meanwhile, Jimmy needs to navigate his way out of Miami, if that’s possible because many teams have suddenly lost interest. However, we still have a month to go before the trade deadlines. And knowing how dramatic the league could be sometimes, anything is possible.