In January, Jimmy Butler went down with a brutal torn ACL injury in his right knee. Next February, he becomes extension-eligible and then a free agent in the summer. So, the Golden State Warriors still have plenty of decisions to be made after missing out on LeBron James, but they aren’t rushing.

“They’re gonna play it out,” Tim Kawakami said on the latest episode of The TK Show. “There’s no reason to do anything with his contract if he plays it out and doesn’t come back. That’s 53 million dollars that comes off the cap. They could trade him at the deadline as it’s expiring and get that money.

“Let him go and get under the cap. I don’t think there’s any rush on this. I think they like him a lot. That, I mean, all the reporting from people who actually speak to the Warriors.”

Jimmy Butler is in the final season of a two-year, $110 million deal, carrying a cap figure of approximately $56.8 million. With a possible return in February and a huge salary, talks of his exit emerged. The reports revealed he could be traded to the Wizards to sign Anthony Davis, which was another ploy to lure LeBron James. But Kawakami stated before the AD rumors, the plan was to keep Jimmy Butler.

“And that was before the whole Anthony Davis thing that they’re ready to trade for Anthony Davis. Like the whole point of LeBron wasn’t to get LeBron AND Anthony Davis and extend anything. It was to get LeBron and add him to Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green, and Steph Curry. So I don’t think there’s a push for any decision on Jimmy Butler.”

Another offseason, where the Warriors missed out on their targets. Not just LeBron James, but Golden State failed in pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo and even Jaylen Brown. So, the obvious needle movers are currently not available. The reason for waiting out can be attributed to the decision that Joe Lacob has reportedly taken regarding Stephen Curry’s future.

“What Lacob wants to do — and this might get Warriors fans mad — is build the next team after Steph Curry,” Kawakami said. “I don’t know how possible that is, but Lacob has a very keen interest in: ‘This organization is going to show what it can do with Steph Curry, and then after Steph Curry.’”

That’s the last thing any Dub Nation fan wanted to hear. Currently, even if they run back the roster, there are a lot of holes to cover. Re-signing 40-year-old Al Horford and also bringing back Kristaps Porzingis on a two-year, $40 million deal might not be enough. Alongside Jimmy Butler, even Moses Moody is out injured, with a torn patellar tendon in his left knee.

Plus, the front office will re-sign Draymond Green, but not on any reduced contract. Previously, the former DPOY opted out and was ready to accept a lower salary only to accommodate LeBron James. Since that move failed, Green will reportedly come back with his nearly $28 million annually. So, it again blocks out any moves that the Warriors could make, hence the waiting game.