It only takes one injury to help derail an NBA team’s season.
In the Golden State Warriors’ case, Jimmy Butler’s ACL injury will make life challenging for the organization moving forward. Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale didn’t waste much time crafting a blockbuster trade idea that could keep hope alive in the Bay.
Regarding the details of the hypothetical deal, the Warriors would send Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield, Moses Moody, and a 2026 first-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for a 26-year-old superstar point guard.
“Creating a Stephen Curry-Ja Morant backcourt poses all sorts of defensive issues,” Favale wrote Tuesday. “Those problems are exacerbated by the Jimmy Butler injury, as well as the Warriors shipping out two more of their wings to get this deal over the mathematical finish line. Golden State shouldn't care.”
“Losing Butler vaults them to Defcon 1 on the "Western Conference Postseason Irrelevance" scale. If Morant can actualize even 70% of the player he's supposed to be, he helps replace the scoring, playmaking, rim pressure and foul-drawing the Warriors are now forfeiting.”
“If Ja rehabs his value in any way, shape or form, the Dubs will be left with quite the trade asset on their hands heading into the offseason or next year. And if he doesn't, the cost of this gamble is low enough that no material harm to Golden State's present or future will have been done.”
Pairing Curry with a non-perimeter shooting threat in 2026 is far from a brilliant idea. Anyone who has watched Curry play in the last decade or so knows that the four-time NBA champion guard is at his best when his partner in crime isn’t a liability from beyond the arc.
Morant is an outstanding slasher with the athleticism to execute maneuvers most guards can only dream of. The Dalzell, South Carolina native is also a wizard from a playmaking/distributing standpoint, helping him deliver dimes while playing at an exceptionally fast pace.
That said, Morant wouldn’t be an effective floor-spacer in a three-point-heavy Warriors offense, which should compel Golden State to steer clear of the 19.3 points per game scorer.
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