The Warriors’ nightmare 2026 NBA trade deadline after Jimmy Butler’s injury

Stephen Curry and Draymond Green have won four championships together, but they are in the waning years of their NBA careers. The Golden State Warriors would like to contend for one more championship before the dynasty officially ends, and because of that many assumed the team would be trade term buyers. Adding an aging core before it was too late made sense.

However, the Warriors’ timelines were turned on their head when Jimmy Butler tore his ACL. The team is unlikely to trade him, and without the six-time All-Star in the lineup, Golden State is unlikely to be able to contend for a championship. They simply don’t have the resources and aren’t in the financial position to add big players to the roster right now.

However, one thing that seems to be certain is that the deadline is February 5th, and that’s it Jonathan Cumminga he will no longer play for the team. Kuminga requested a trade the day he became eligible for a trade on Jan. 15, and a nightmare trade deadline scenario for the Warriors would involve not finding a trade partner to deal him to.

Getting nothing back for Jonathan Cumminga would be a nightmare

Kuminga clearly wants out of Golden State. He has battled with Steve Kerr for most of his career, often in and out of the rotation since the Warriors drafted him as a first-round pick. Kuminga even sought a home change during his restricted free agency during the offseason.

It is also clear that the Warriors are ready to move on from Kuminga. They didn’t bring him back until late in free agency and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. did not give Kuminga great support with his recent comments.

“I’m aware of that. In terms of demand, when you’re looking, there has to be a demand — in the market,” Dunleavy said. “So we’ll see how that goes.”

The Warriors decision-maker not only made it clear that Cuminga’s time in Golden State likely won’t last much longer, but he also alluded to the fact that there isn’t much of a market for Cuminga’s services.

That must be a concern for the Warriors. The G-League Ignite product played just one game in January and had his worst season in years so far. A league-wide lack of interest in the power forward may force the Warriors to hold onto him until the end of the season.

For starters, it could serve as a locker room distraction as Kuminga clearly doesn’t want to be a part of the team anymore. Furthermore, if the Warriors are unable to get anything for Cummings via trade, then they will likely lose him for nothing in free agency. It wasn’t that long ago that Cummings was viewed as a high-potential player who had significant trade value.

The Warriors should probably rebuild or retool in some way, but they won’t because of what Curry and Green have done for the franchise. They are in eighth place in the Western Conference, but a drop in the standings can be expected with Butler news. Kuminga would be an easy piece to get rid of. His fit with the team is questionable, but at 23 years old with raw athleticism, one could assume that Kuminga could turn a decent profit.

That doesn’t appear to be the case, and Dunleavy’s recent comments haven’t done the Cummings trade any favors, so it’s looking more and more like a Warriors trade deadline scenario will become a reality.