How Warriors can save their offseason after LeBron James goes to the 76ers

With no LeBron on their roster, the only addition the Warriors have made is rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, with zero free agent signings. As most of the free agents are gone, there is only one way for the Warriors to find the competitive balance they need to compete in the Western Conference: trades.

Let’s take a look at one blockbuster trade with the Dallas Mavericks that could address all of Golden State’s major problems heading into next season.

Warriors acquire four win-now rotational players instead of waiting for Jimmy Butler

The Warriors have shown they don’t want to trade Jimmy Butler for a short-sighted win-now move for a different superstar, draining the team’s future resources for the post-Curry era.

Instead, the franchise could try to come up with a more well-rounded trade that breaks Butler’s $56.8 million contract into four winning rotational players, with one of those players being someone the franchise is exceedingly familiar with.

Dallas Mavericks Receive: Jimmy Butler, 2028 First-Round Pick (GSW), 2032 First-Round Pick (GSW), 2032 Second-Round Pick

Golden State Warriors Receive: Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford

The Mavericks essentially recoup what they lost in trade assets to acquire Washington and Gafford in 2024 while allowing new Team President Masai Ujiri to complete his roster revamp after signing and acquiring multiple players in the same positions as the potentially outgoing veterans.

Why the Warriors would do this

The Warriors would jump at this trade. They have notoriously injury-prone and aging stars such as Curry, Draymond Green (if re-signed), and Kristaps Porzingis. Reinforcing their roster with four winning rotational players will be a game-changer for their competitive hopes.

Losing two first-round picks, with one likely conveying after Curry retires, is risky, but it’s a risk worth taking given how significantly this trade improves Golden State’s rotation.

Thompson returns to the Bay after averaging 11.7 points on 38.3% from three last season in Dallas. Washington is a proven versatile two-way forward, averaging 14.2 points and 7.0 rebounds last season.

Marshall is a useful 3-and-D forward who can also take on ball-handling responsibilities, averaging 15.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists last season. Gafford would be a huge addition to the center rotation, averaging 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks last season.

The Warriors could start Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Washington, Draymond, and Porzingis, with Klay, Naji, and Gafford essentially completing their rotation alongside existing players such as Al Horford and Gui Santos.

Adding three positive defenders (and Klay) who will embrace their role is almost impossible to do, but if the Warriors get a price like this for it, they would be foolish to hold on to Butler’s expiring contract.

Why the Mavericks would do this

This is a clean reset for the Mavericks, who currently have a 16-man roster without re-signing team legend Dwight Powell. They have to make their roster compliant, and this trade allows them to cut through the frontcourt clutter that’s currently on the roster.

The team has Cooper Flagg as their star forward already, adding Zaccharie Risacher, Santi Aldama, and Morez Johnson Jr. to the mix. The three outgoing forwards already have replacements on the roster, with the Mavs taking developmental bets on Morez and Risacher.

Aldama will factor into the center rotation with the currently-injured Dereck Lively, but also the re-signed Moussa Cisse. This makes Gafford more expendable.

Washington and Gafford have long-term contracts until 2030 and 2029, respectively, so this deal allows the Mavericks to move off that money and help Butler rehabilitate before potentially joining the roster later in the season.

Butler and Kyrie Irving would be a great duo for Flagg to be mentored by. If the Mavericks overperform with the Irving-Flagg duo leading the team, Butler’s late return in the season could help them make a serious Playoff push.

Ultimately, Butler is on an expiring contract, and the Mavericks could easily move on and have a basically spotless salary cap sheet heading into the 2027 offseason, as Ujiri and new GM Mike Schmitz continue to reshape this roster the way they see fit.