SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy told the media Tuesday night that he has no plans to clear Jimmy Butler’s contract before the Feb. trade deadline. 5, despite Butler’s torn ACL and the team’s dire need to improve the roster to truly compete in the Western Conference.
“I don’t think so,” Dunleavy said. “Since you have raised it, I would say that my opinion about him is that he should strengthen next year as he did last year.”
The Warriors had a low profile but the same situation was evident last season. Veteran guard De’Anthony Melton tore his ACL in November. In December, Dunleavy traded Melton’s contract to the Brooklyn Nets for Dennis Schroder. In February, he scouted Schroder as part of a package to the Miami Heat for Butler.
On Monday, Butler tore his right ACL on a foul play against the Heat. The injury ended his season, and his absence, as Dunleavy admitted, is expected to bleed into next season.
Butler is owed $54.1 million this season and $56.8 million next year in the final year of his current deal.
As the Warriors recover from devastating injury news, there has been speculation that they could use his contract on the trade market — possibly connected to the draft — as a way to improve this now-winning roster around Stephen Curry. Dunleavy, however, shot that down.
“At his age, it’s admirable to have the year he had,” Dunleavy said of Butler, who will turn 37 before next season. “I think he has the style of the game that he can play for a long time with his ability, his body, his mind in the game. So I think my opinion of him is that he will be back sometime between now and this time next year.”
Butler’s injury has a big impact on Jonathan Kuminga, the Warriors’ controversial small forward entering Tuesday who played just 10 minutes last month and issued a trade request last week as the DNPs piled up.
“I know [the trade demand],” said Dunleavy. “In terms of demand, if you make a demand, there needs to be a demand in the market.”
Butler’s absence could open the way for Kuminga to play, as Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before Tuesday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors. Kuminga has been buried in rotations and hurt before, but he returned to a heavily used role — most notably in the second round of the playoffs last May against the Minnesota Timberwolves after Curry sprained his hamstring.
In Tuesday night’s loss to Toronto, Kuminga scored 20 points in 21 minutes and finished with a 3-pointer.
“I’m disappointed that it didn’t go better [with Kuminga],” said Dunleavy. “But it is. …There is still time here. You are on our list. I know a trade has been requested, but nothing is going to happen and things in this league can change in a heartbeat, like they did last night. So he must be ready.”
The Warriors are expected to continue trading Kuminga until the deadline, but Dunleavy said he will use the next two weeks to assess where the Warriors stand after Butler’s injury.
He said the Warriors could choose to use some of their future first-round picks for immediate help, but the threshold for a push-the-chips-in deal is high.
“If we talk about the draft trade that will come out if Steph is not there, then it will have to be a player that we think we will be coming back who will be here when the picks come out,” said Dunleavy. “That player is going to have to make a positive impact. It’s going to take a good amount — positionally, playing style, archetype, all of that. I’m going to leave it wide and open.
“But if there is a high-quality player to be had, we have everything in our chest that we are not willing to use.”
