The Golden State Warriors are adamantly against trading Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler, which creates complications when exploring deals for high-salary players before the trade deadline.
Team sources say the Warriors’ reluctance to move either player limits their ability to match salaries in potential blockbuster trades. The position essentially means that Golden State’s current roster will remain largely intact unless a creative deal is made.
The Warriors have expressed interest in Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Davis, but matching salaries presents major hurdles. A league source said Dallas is interested in Jonathan Kuminga, who cannot be traded until Jan. 15.
Kuminga’s salary of $22.5 million remains well below Davis’ $54.1 million. Matching salaries would require another big contract like Green’s $25.8 million, but team sources confirmed such a move is not in their plans.
“My No. 1 goal, honestly, is for (Green) to finish his career as a Warrior with us metaphorically fighting, not literally fighting and battling together until we’re both gone,” Steve Kerr said after a Dec. 22 bench call with Green.
A Butler-for-Davis swap works financially, as both are making $54.1 million this season. However, Golden State has shown no interest in such a move.
The Warriors lead the league this season by eight in the fourth quarter. Seven of their sixteen losses were by five points or less.
Golden State ranks 28th in turnovers with 16.3 per game. Despite their problems, the Warriors rank 10th in the league with a net rating of plus-2.3, which suggests they are better than their eighth-place finish in the Western Conference.
The Warriors have long had interest in New Orleans’ Trey Murphy III, but have not yet reached a deal. Kuminga’s diminished value complicates matters, as he has received seven DNP-CDs in the last nine games after falling out of Kerr’s rotation.
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