The Warriors crushed the Heat 135-112 on Monday night, but nobody in that building cared about the margin once Jimmy Butler hit the floor. Butler went down in the third quarter with a right knee injury, and the reporting since then has confirmed the nightmare: a torn right ACL that ends his season.
That’s a massive gut punch because Butler wasn’t just “help.” He was the second engine. He came into the night averaging 20.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists on 51.9% from the field, and he had 17 points in 21 minutes before the injury.
Even with the win, the Warriors are 25-19 and sitting eighth in the Western Conference, which is the exact spot where one brutal injury can turn a solid season into a play-in coin flip.
With Butler out, the front office can’t treat the deadline like optional shopping anymore. The roster needs another real creator and another real two-way piece, because asking one superstar to carry everything for three months is how seasons die.
So now, we’ll explore three blockbuster trades the Warriors must try before the deadline, the kind of swings that can keep their season alive even without Jimmy.
A Lifeline With Lauri Markkanen As The “Keep Us Alive” Swing
Golden State Warriors Receive: Lauri Markkanen
Utah Jazz Receive: Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton, 2028 first-round pick
This is the type of blockbuster the Warriors have to seriously consider now, because once Butler goes down, the whole roster math changes overnight. You’re not “adding a nice piece” anymore, you’re trying to replace a second star-level impact with something that can actually hold up in playoff basketball.
And the ugly truth is simple: you don’t replace that with a bench guard and a second-rounder. You replace it by going big, or you accept the season is going to turn into a Stephen Curry carry job with a hard ceiling.
That’s where Lauri Markkanen fits like a glove. He’s averaging 27.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 48.3% from the field and 36.5% from three, and he lives at the line (88.4% FT). In Warriors basketball terms, he’s a cheat code. Pick-and-pop with Curry becomes disgusting.
Switching becomes dangerous because Markkanen just shoots over wings. Help defense gets punished because he doesn’t need ten dribbles to score. He’s the kind of scorer who keeps spacing clean while still giving you a real bailout option late in the clock.
Contract-wise, this is a true commitment, not a rental. Markkanen is on a four-year, $195.8 million extension, and his money this season is set at $46.3 million. That’s why the Jazz would demand a painful return: Jonathan Kuminga as the upside swing, Moses Moody as an instant rotation wing, Buddy Hield as shooting insurance, De’Anthony Melton as a movable piece, plus a real first-round pick.
And the Jazz actually have a reason to listen. They’ve been buried in the West at 14-29, and they just played a game without Markkanen because of illness, which is a reminder that even one missing star can make a rough season feel hopeless. If the Jazz decide the timeline doesn’t line up, this is the kind of haul that lets them reset without pretending it’s “minor retooling.”
My opinion: if the Warriors are serious about not wasting a Curry season after losing Butler, this is the type of big swing they have to chase. Smaller moves won’t scare anybody. Markkanen will.
The Pure Shooting Injection With Michael Porter Jr.
Golden State Warriors Receive: Michael Porter Jr.
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield, Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, 2028 first-round pick
Since the Warriors just lost Jimmy Butler for the season, they need one thing immediately: points that don’t require Curry to perform miracles every possession. Michael Porter Jr. is basically a walking solution to that exact problem. He’s averaging 25.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists this season while shooting 48.5% from the field, and he’s ripping threes at 39.8% on big volume.
This is why the fit makes so much sense in a Warriors context. Porter doesn’t need to be a ball-handler to be lethal. He runs into shots, he punishes late help, and he turns “we defended Curry perfectly” possessions into “cool, here’s a 6’10 guy drilling a three anyway.” And if you want the cleanest stat that screams Warriors basketball, he hits 3.7 threes per game this season. That is exactly the kind of pressure that keeps teams from blitzing Curry nonstop.
Now, the contract, because that’s the real reason this trade is even structured like this. Porter is owed $38.3 million in 2025-26 and $40.8 million in 2026-27. That’s serious money, but it’s also a real two-year window where you can justify the bet. You’re paying for an elite scoring wing in his prime seasons, not a rental.
The other side of this is the Nets, and the record makes the motivation pretty obvious. They’re 12-28 and sitting 13th in the East. A team in that spot should be thinking asset cycle, not “let’s keep a max-level scorer to win 31 games.” Kuminga gives them the upside swing, Hield helps keep spacing alive, Horford is the veteran money ballast, Melton is a useful guard piece, and the 2028 first is the real bite.
From the Warriors’ perspective, the sacrifice is painful but logical. Kuminga is the big chip, and he’s the one you move when you’re trying to replace star-level impact. The Warriors don’t need another “maybe” right now. They need a sure thing who can score 25 on any night. Porter is that.
My take: this trade is risky because Porter isn’t the defender Butler is, and that matters. But post-injury, the Warriors can’t pretend they’re replacing Butler’s defense anyway. They have to replace the damage to the offense, and Porter’s shooting plus size gives them a totally different identity that still keeps Curry’s season dangerous.
The Nuclear Swing For Jaren Jackson Jr. As The Two-Way Backbone
Golden State Warriors Receive: Jaren Jackson Jr.
Memphis Grizzlies Receive: Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, De’Anthony Melton, 2026 first-round pick, 2028 first-round pick
If the Warriors want the most dramatic “we’re not dying quietly” response to losing Butler, this is it. Jaren Jackson Jr. isn’t just a good player, he’s a system changer. He’s averaging 18.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists this season on 48.1% shooting, and 1.5 blocks per game. That’s exactly the type of defensive anchor who can cover mistakes, erase breakdowns, and let the Warriors play faster and more aggressively.
The fit is almost unfair. Put Jackson next to Draymond Green and suddenly the Warriors can switch more, trap more, and basically dare teams to finish at the rim. Jackson’s length gives them a real backline deterrent, which is the biggest thing they lose when their offense gets shakier. And offensively, he’s not a paint-clogger. He can space enough to keep the floor functional, and the Warriors don’t need him to be a 28-point scorer. They need him to be the guy who makes everything harder for the other team.
The contract is the part that makes this a true blockbuster. Jackson signed a five-year, $205 million renegotiation-and-extend deal, and he makes $35.0 million in 2025-26. That is a massive commitment, and it’s why the Grizzlies would demand two first-rounders plus young players if they fail to acquire them in a Ja Morant trade.
And the Grizzlies actually have a standings reason to listen. They’re 17-23 and 11th in the West amid all the Morant rumors. That’s the danger zone where teams either push in or start rethinking the timeline. If they decide they’re not ready to go all-in, flipping Jackson for a premium package is the cleanest reset button available.
For the Warriors, giving up Kuminga and Moody is brutal. But that’s the point. You don’t get a Defensive Player of the Year-level big without bleeding. Kuminga is the upside swing, Moody is a real rotation wing, Melton is matching money, and the two firsts are what make the Grizzlies stop laughing.
My take: this is the best basketball fit out of the three potential deals. Jackson is the type of guy who raises the floor and the ceiling, because he gives the Warriors an elite defensive spine while still fitting a motion offense. If they want one move that can keep them relevant in a brutal West even without Butler, this is the loudest one.
Final Thoughts
The Warriors don’t have the luxury of playing cute after the Butler ACL news. They’re already sitting in the play-in range, and losing a second star turns every “we’ll figure it out” week into a standings free fall. If they want to keep Curry’s season from becoming a nightly rescue mission, they need a real impact swing before the deadline, not a couple of minor tweaks.
That’s why these three trade paths matter. Markkanen is the cleanest offensive co-star, Porter is the pure shooting and scoring injection, and Jackson is the two-way identity reset that could keep them elite defensively even without Butler. My bet: they chase the biggest needle-mover first, then pivot to whichever star becomes realistically obtainable. Standing still is the one option that guarantees the season dies slowly.
