It was reported on Monday that the Warriors' pursuit of LeBron James would hinge on trading Jimmy Butler for Anthony Davis first. The speculation reached such a fever pitch that Butler's agent released a statement to ESPN that essentially guaranteed he won't be traded. The Stein Line's Marc Stein and Jake Fischer had more information on the topic late Monday night. "League sources say that the Warriors certainly haven't been operating under the premise that they must adhere to any mandate that James and Davis are somehow a package deal."Trading for Davis could have plenty of complications. The Wizards will want draft-pick compensation, and they will potentially want to reroute Butler to a third team. So if it's true that landing James won't require a Davis trade, the chances of the Warriors getting the four-time MVP are higher.Warriors Seem Hesitant to Trade ButlerStein and Fischer reported that the Warriors are signaling "a reluctance" to trade Butler while he's injured. It makes sense that they have possibly flirted with the idea for top-10 talents like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard. But it's not clear if Davis is worth giving up Butler and first-round draft capital. Not only are the Warriors stronger at center than they are at small forward after extending Kristaps Porzingis and re-signing Al Horford, but they also have to consider how expensive Davis will be if they extend his contract. Davis has a $62.8 million player option for the 2027-28 season that he would decline to get a massive four-year extension. That extension would take him into his age-38 season. Of course, Butler is already 36 years old, so it's not like a Davis-for-Butler trade is a non-starter. But the Warriors might be able to re-sign Butler at a much lower number this offseason, and that might give them financial flexibility to make other moves for the 2027-28 season and beyond. Ultimately, it should come down to how much better the Warriors think they will be with Davis instead of Butler. If they think it's a massive difference, they should give up the extra draft capital to get the 10-time All-Star big man. If they think the difference between Butler and Davis is negligible, they should keep Butler with the hope he'll return from his ACL injury at a similar level to what he once was. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow