The Golden State Warriors have notified Jimmy Butler that he will not be moved while he rehabs a torn ACL, according to Nick Friedell of The Athletic.
Team officials have delivered the same message internally despite the league’s growing focus on Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Reporting from Jake Fischer and Marc Stein in “The Stein Line” notes that Golden State’s interest in Antetokounmpo is not expected to involve Butler’s contract.
Both Butler and Antetokounmpo are on maximum-salary deals, but Butler’s season-ending knee injury complicates any potential salary-matching scenarios. General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. previously said he did not anticipate trading Butler after the injury, and that stance has not changed even as the Bucks begin fielding offers for Antetokounmpo.
Around the league, executives believe Stephen Curry is the lone Warrior deemed untouchable in conversations about Antetokounmpo. If Butler is removed from any package, attention shifts to Draymond Green for matching salaries. Green addressed the possibility directly, saying, “I’ve been here for 14 years. If I’m traded, that’s part of the business. I ain’t losing no sleep.”
The approaching trade deadline has created familiar tension in the locker room. “It’s hard on all of us,” Al Horford told Monte Poole of NBC Bay Area.
Source: Hoops Wire
