The biggest questions for the Warriors ahead of the NBA trade deadline - ESPN

WITHIN 24 HOURS OF Jimmy Butler's franchise-altering ACL tear, Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy admitted that the team's new reality meant an altered approach could be necessary at the upcoming trade deadline.

«Maybe the parameters have changed,» Dunleavy said. «Maybe the goalposts have moved.»

One of the key roster-building checkpoints on the NBA calendar is one week away. In advance of the Feb. 5 trade deadline, the Warriors have several questions to answer, beginning with the ramifications of Butler's injury.

In the days since, team sources have described their approach as more future focused. With Butler in the lineup, they were exploring smaller-scale upgrades, attempting to use Jonathan Kuminga's $22.5 million salary to boost a surging team they believed was a fringe contender.

Realistic contention evaporated when Butler went down, reducing the front office's appetite to spend an asset for a strictly win-now swing. It's feasible they find a deal that raises the ceiling of this season's team, but their focus is on better setting up the roster to enter the contention conversation for 2026-27 and beyond.

The Warriors' prime target is the same dream name that has been on their radar for nearly a decade: Giannis Antetokounmpo. The big difference now is that Milwaukee's door appears to finally be cracked open. ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Wednesday that Bucks general manager Jon Horst has recently become willing to entertain the conversation.

League sources told ESPN that the Warriors have contacted the Bucks in the past week and expressed their firm interest in Antetokounmpo and their willingness to put a substantial offer on the table regardless of his calf strain and undetermined return