Warriors Rumors: LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Zion Williamson

Warriors Rumors: LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Zion Williamson.

The Golden State Warriors are linked to trade targets across the NBA as the team is pegged to make major moves this winter to return to contention.

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ZION WILLIAMSON

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The Golden State Warriors have had the most trade rumors around them since the summer, as the franchise has been searching for players on the market to help them return to contention. They failed to acquire Paul George or Lauri Markkanen over the summer but have been linked to stars around the NBA as the season has progressed, with many picking the Warriors to make a major deal before the deadline.

 

Let’s take a look at all the major trade rumors surrounding the franchise, from a potential pursuit of stars like LeBron James and Jimmy Butler, or adding more solid role-players like they did with their recent acquisition of Dennis Schroder..

LeBron James

Many NBA fans were stunned when the news of the Warriors making a run at LeBron James near the trade deadline broke, as the thought of James joining the Warriors seems almost blasphemous. But these reports were quickly confirmed by various trusted sources including LeBron’s agent Rich Paul, meaning Golden State is interested in a LeBron-Stephen Curry duo.

 

While trade chatter died down after LeBron refused it last winter, Brian Windhorst has openly discussed Golden State potentially revisiting their pursuit of LeBron this season.

 

“I’m very interested in all this. I would be lying if I said that there haven’t been some conversations in the league (about), ‘Would LeBron at some point this year revisit that?’ Because you remember last year at the trade deadline, the Warriors called… It’s possible if LeBron wanted it. Also, LeBron has a no-trade clause.”

James is averaging 22.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 9.1 assists this season, and a deal to bring him to Golden State will cost the Warriors major assets. It would also need to be a deal that LeBron agrees to and needs to make sense with the new salary apron rules, so this deal might be far-fetched, although it might be discussed.

Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler seems to be on his way out of the Miami Heat – either this season via trade or as a free agent next summer. He has refused contract extensions, made his intention to become a free agent clear, and is now being linked to various teams around the NBA, with one of them being the Warriors.

 

Butler is averaging 18.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists this season. He would be an intriguing fit on the Warriors as a wing who can also handle on-ball responsibilities while being an aggressive defender. His offensive regression might concern the franchise, who want a player like Butler to share the offensive load with Steph.

 

It won’t be easy, but Butler is a far more realistic target than LeBron as he’s actually on the market. It might be a tough move given Butler’s age and status as an impending free agent, but it could be a move with great short-term rewards even though it likely would result in Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga being moved.

Zion Williamson

There haven’t been any explicit rumors linking the Warriors to a potential Zion Williamson trade after a recent report indicated the Pelicans no longer view Zion as an untouchable prospect. Rumors of Golden State being interest in him started due to ESPN’s Bobby Marks suggesting the Warriors look at Zion as a high-risk but cheap trade option to accelerate winning.

 

“Now, Zion is interesting here just because he is injured right now [and] we don’t know when he is coming back,” Marks said. “For him to be on the court, that’s how you can get the most value for him, either in a trade or with the Pelicans. I’ve always circled Golden State, [who] would be certainly that team there for for Zion.”

 

With a potential deal likely using Wiggins and Kevon Looney along with either Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski, it doesn’t seem likely the Warriors would try to make this deal given their win-now nature and Zion’s consistent injury issues.

Cam Johnson And Dorian Finney-Smith

In the initial reports that linked the Warriors with Dennis Schroder, the names of Nets forwards Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith had also come up.

 

However, both Johnson and Smith remain on the Nets, with Golden State reportedly refusing to part with Jonathan Kuminga in the Schroder deal even though it would’ve brought them Johnson.

 

“To acquire both Schröder and Cam Johnson from the Nets, as league sources say was also weighed by the Warriors, almost certainly would have required them to surrender Jonathan Kuminga.”

 

There hasn’t been much chatter on Finney-Smith since the initial report by Shams Charania, so it seems the Warriors won’t be discussing a new deal with the Nets anytime soon. But if their form was to nosedive and they need reinforcements later in the season, Golden State will have a partner in Brooklyn.

Nikola Vucevic

The Warriors have been previously linked to Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, who’s averaging 21.0 points and 9.8 rebounds amid an inspired season.

 

Vucevic’s price has fluctuated from multiple second-round picks to a potential first-round pick, but the Warriors could make this move and add a major scoring and rebounding threat at center instead of relying on 6’5″ Draymond to be the only consistent player at the position.

 

Additional Targets

A lot of rotational players were recently linked to the Warriors in a comprehensive trade rumors report, with these players addressing specific needs on the team.

 

“Secondary talents that the Warriors have discussed as potential trade targets are Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo, Portland Trail Blazers defensive wing Matisse Thybulle, and two Toronto Raptors players in Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown”