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Jimmy Butler III of the Golden State Warriors.

The Golden State Warriors are among a handful of NBA teams that hold lofty playoff aspirations but must also execute a significant trade to catapult themselves into legitimate contention.

Sam Amick of The Athletic included the Dubs among the five franchises most in need of making a deal ahead of the early February deadline, but spent most of his words on that topic detailing why it might be difficult.

A blockbuster trade swapping Jimmy Butler for Anthony Davis, currently of the Dallas Mavericks, is there for the making, but Golden State is reticent to move Butler.

“A Butler-for-Davis swap works financially, as the Warriors forward also makes $54.1 million this season, but Golden State has shown no interest in making such a move,” Amick wrote on Wednesday, December 31. “While team sources say the Warriors have not entirely closed the door on a Davis deal, it appears unlikely. What’s more, it should be noted that the Mavericks called Golden State about the Davis possibility — and not the other way around.”

Anthony Davis Can Anchor Warriors’ Defense, Add Pick-and-Roll Element With Stephen Curry

GettyAnthony Davis of the Dallas Mavericks.

There are multiple reasons the Warriors might come to reconsider that position. Firstly, Davis would add much-needed interior defense, particularly rim protection.

Golden State already owns the No. 3 defense in the league in terms of defensive rating (111.4), and adding Davis to that mix should make the unit even better, even if the perimeter numbers dip to some degree with the departure of Butler.

Davis’s presence in the paint would also allow Golden State to pull Draymond Green off centers more frequently and potentially increase his value game in and game out by taking fuller advantage of his defensive versatility.

Meanwhile, the Warriors are currently 18th in offensive rating (114.3). That is the team’s real issue through its 18-16 start, which is currently good enough for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference.

Davis is averaging 20.5 points this season and carries a career average of 24 points per game. He doesn’t stretch the floor with a 3-point shot, but he does offer a unique pick-and-roll option for Stephen Curry as one of the better roll finishers in the league.

Golden State runs more pick and roll now than it did during the dynasty’s prime in the mid-to-late 2010s, when the offense was more predicated on precise and relentless motion.

Anthony Davis’s Injury History, Contract Demands Could Prove Problematic for Warriors

GettyAnthony Davis of the Dallas Mavericks.

The two reasons for Golden State not to make a deal for Davis are glaring: his history of injuries and his desire to sign an extension anywhere the Mavericks might trade him.

Davis is only 32 years old, while Butler is 36. Neither is a regular season ironman, as Davis has played in 60 or more games just twice in the last seven seasons, and Butler has topped 60 or more contests in three of the last eight campaigns.

The advantage of keeping Butler, whose acquisition at last season’s trade deadline sparked a strong run down the stretch and into the playoffs, is that his contract runs out after the 2026-27 season.

Davis has three years left on his $175 million deal, which includes a $62.8 million player option in 2027-28 when he will turn 35 years old. Davis has made it known that he wants a maximum multiyear extension beyond that campaign.

Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible