Even ESPN Insiders Think the Warriors’ Anthony Davis Plan Is a Nonstarter

The Golden State Warriors are reportedly kicking the tires on a trade for Anthony Davis. And at least one national NBA insider thinks that’s a terrible idea.

According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, the Warriors are weighing an aggressive offseason pitch that would pair LeBron James and Anthony Davis with Stephen Curry. But here’s the catch: making that work with the Wizards would almost certainly mean saying goodbye to Jimmy Butler, who is currently recovering from an ACL tear. The Warriors have been signaling publicly that they want to keep Butler. They even had him standing next to owner Joe Lacob at a recent corporate event. That doesn’t exactly scream “trade bait.”

But the real pushback came from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, who went on Get Up and basically called the whole idea a waste of money.

“To be committed to max money to AD, when Steph Curry is riding off into the sunset, would make ZERO sense for the Golden State Warriors,” MacMahon said.

That’s about as blunt as it gets. And honestly, he’s not wrong. Curry is 38 years old, and while he’s still elite, the clock is ticking. Committing a supermax contract to Davis — who has his own injury history and turns 33 next season — would handcuff the franchise for years after Curry retires. The Warriors would be trading their future flexibility for a short window that might not even be wide enough.

The Draymond Green factor

One thing that seems settled in all this chaos is Draymond Green’s future. Multiple reports indicate Green is staying with the Warriors no matter what happens with LeBron or Davis. He opted out of his player option, but that was mainly to give the front office flexibility. His final salary will be determined after the team figures out whether they can pull off a superstar trade.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst backed that up too, noting that while a LeBron reunion is unlikely, Green is expected to remain in Golden State. So at least one piece of the core isn’t going anywhere.

The bigger question is whether the Warriors are about to make a panic move or pivot toward something smarter. The rumor mill is spinning hard right now, but the team hasn’t confirmed anything. Given the noise from analysts like MacMahon, the front office might want to think twice before betting the house on a Davis deal that leaves them with an aging roster and no runway.