The Golden State Warriors made a huge splash by acquiring Jimmy Butler a day before the trade deadline. The trade involved four teams and included seven players and a draft pick. Butler was sent to Golden State, while Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, P.J. Tucker, and a 2025 first-round pick were jettisoned to the Miami Heat.
The Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz played facilitators in the trade. Detroit added Josh Richardson via Miami and Lindy Waters III from the Warriors. Lastly, the Jazz acquired Dennis Schroder from Golden State. The 31-year-old point guard has now been traded twice this season and could soon hit the buyout market after landing in Utah.
While the Warriors’ level of contention is on the rise following the Butler acquisition, the team has yet to fill a massive void ahead of the trade deadline. For months, Golden State has targeted a floor spacing center to open the court for Steph Curry, Jonathan Kuminga, and others. In recent games, Golden State has even turned to rookie second-round pick Quinten Post to fill this void.
The Warriors remain interested in Nikola Vucevic
However, it’s entirely possible that the 52nd overall pick is merely a stopgap option at the five. Chicago Sports Network’s K.C. Johnson reported, with hours to go until the deadline, that the Bulls and Warriors remain in discussions centered around Nikola Vucevic.
Golden State first expressed interest in trading for the 34-year-old big man over a month ago. Schroder, Gary Payton II, and Kevon Looney were all mentioned as likely candidates to be sent to Chicago as salary matchers for the $20 million Vucevic. While Schroder is no longer a plausible candidate, the financials of the trade remain compliant, swapping the former Warriors point guard with Buddy Hield or Moses Moody.
Nevertheless, the sticking point in the hypothetical trade was Chicago’s unwillingness to accept anything other than a first-round draft pick from a swap involving the 6-foot-10 center. The Bulls have continued to hold out hope for a first-rounder despite multiple second-round picks being the more reasonable return.
A stalemate has since ensued due to the Bulls’ desire to add a future first-rounder in exchange for Vooch. However, after acquiring their own first-round pick back in the trade that sent Zach LaVine to Sacramento, there’s a possibility that the Bulls’ Front Office is content with at least one notable draft pick in return for one of its star players.
Furthermore, it should be assumed that Golden State is keen on further improving its 11th-placed roster after acquiring and extending the 35-year-old Butler. The Warriors remain relatively deep following the mega-trade; thus, trimming the roster once more wouldn’t severely deplete the roster. Golden State’s desperation may be just what Chicago needs to finally jumpstart the long-awaited rebuild now that LaVine is off the roster.
