Having been on the lookout for another star for over a year, the Golden State Warriors finally pounced on 6x All-Star Jimmy Butler in a blockbuster move before the trade deadline.
The Warriors gave up Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson, Lindy Waters III and their first-round pick this year (top 10 protected) for Butler, while also giving the 35-year-old a new two-year, $112 million contract extension in the process.
There were a number of factors in play that eventually allowed Golden State to acquire Butler, but there was no bigger element than Bradley Beal's contract and specifically his no-trade clause.
The Wizards nearly sabotaged the Warriors trade for Jimmy Butler
For weeks the Suns and Butler had mutual interest, yet Beal's contract -- with two years and almost $111 million remaining -- was a key stumbling block that couldn't be overcome. His place as one of only two players in the league with a no-trade clause meant that Phoenix and Miami couldn't execute a Butler trade without Beal's approval.
Finding a taker for Beal's contract was going to be difficult anyway, yet it was his former team in the Washington Wizards who at least discussed the idea of reuniting with the 31-year-old, according to NBA insider Marc Stein in a report on Sunday.
"It turns out that the Washington Wizards, stunning as it sounds, gave real consideration to bringing Beal to the nation's capital," Stein said. "While there continues to be no indication that Beal would have blessed such a trade to go through, league sources say Washington gave the concept legitimate contemplation."
Had the Wizards furthered their interest in Beal and were the 3x All-Star willing to return, then that could have opened a pathway for Butler to be moved to the Suns to form a big three of he, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
Given Durant and then Butler were their two biggest trade targets in the final few days before the deadline, the Warriors would have likely been left in the cold had Washington's Beal interest developed into something.
Would Golden State have been capable of pivoting to another significant move? That doesn't appear obvious, likely leaving them with a similar roster and without this current surge in the Butler era that has them well and truly in the playoff mix.
So it turns out the Warriors can not only thank Beal for his refusal to leave the Suns, but also the Wizards for not further exploring a move that could have left Golden State without the second star they desperately needed.
