The Warriors have invested in (very) veteran players like no other team in the NBA
The Golden State Warriors invested in a very veteran player yet again this trade deadline, acquiring the disgruntled Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat in exchange for Andrew Wiggins, a protected first-round pick and more.
The problem for Golden State is that Butler is 35 years old and is joining a Warriors nucleus that already features a 36-(soon to be 37)-year-old Stephen Curry and a 34-(soon to be 35)-year-old Draymond Green. That means if Golden State makes what would be a miraculous run at a championship this year, they'd be led by a core that would be roughly a combined 107 years old by the upcoming Finals in June. According to our research, that would give Golden State the oldest Big Three in league history to win an NBA title.
How wise that investment will wind up being for the Warriors remains to be seen, but at least owner Joe Lacob is giving his current group one more shot with a still-effective Butler, so he deserves some credit there.
Even so, we looked up how much NBA teams have invested in players who will be 35 or older after the 2024-25 season, and Golden State has by far the most committed, with a whopping $289.9 million (combining what is owed to Curry, Thompson, and Green). That's a huge amount more than the team that finished with the second-most money invested in 35-plus-year-old player seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers, at $165.9 million. In third, the Milwaukee Bucks at $121.8 million, followed by the Boston Celtics at $104.4 million and the Los Angeles Clippers at $91.6 million rounding out the Top 5. That's particularly troubling for Philadelphia as its roster has various players who aren't that young but who are pretty injury-prone.
Others are taking the opposite approach, instead investing in their youth, teams like the Houston Rockets, who notably avoided trading for veterans this deadline because they reportedly want to see how far they can take it with their current group. Houston has $0 invested in player seasons over 35 years old and just $41.1 million invested in the 30-34 years old block. The Oklahoma City Thunder are another young team with $0 invested in players older than 35, and they are one of the favorites to win a title this year, so kudos to Sam Presti for how strong of a young roster he's built, with so much draft capital left to play around with.
Also of note from our research, Boston has an enormous $510.6 million invested in player season between age 30 and 34 while the New York Knicks have $427.0 million in that group.
Below, check out how much money NBA teams have invested in player seasons 35 years old or older, as well as in players between 30 and 34, 25 through 29 and 25 and under.
Atlanta Hawks
Under Age 25 seasons: $55,409,149
Age 25-29 seasons: $279,967,040
Age 30-34 seasons: $39,700,000
Age 35-plus seasons: $0
Boston Celtics
Under Age 25 seasons: $200,000
Age 25-29 seasons: $270,745,058
Age 30-34 seasons: $510,639,528
Age 35-plus seasons: $104,400,000
Brooklyn Nets
Under Age 25 seasons: $6,761,200
Age 25-29 seasons: $89,986,661
Age 30-34 seasons: $22,500,000
Age 35-plus seasons: $0
Charlotte Hornets
Under Age 25 seasons: $64,511,640
Age 25-29 seasons: $234,829,856
Age 30-34 seasons: $19,375,000
Age 35-plus seasons: $0
Chicago Bulls
Under Age 25 seasons: $28,854,678
Age 25-29 seasons: $138,907,545
Age 30-34 seasons: $6,809,524
Age 35-plus seasons: $21,481,481
Cleveland Cavaliers
Under Age 25 seasons: $42,154,180
Age 25-29 seasons: $530,692,375
Age 30-34 seasons: $158,425,230
Age 35-plus seasons: $0
Dallas Mavericks
Under Age 25 seasons: $45,117,583
Age 25-29 seasons: $46,967,065
Age 30-34 seasons: $263,929,707
Age 35-plus seasons: $34,126,984
Denver Nuggets
Under Age 25 seasons: $15,171,233
Age 25-29 seasons: $211,537,640
Age 30-34 seasons: $429,990,467
Age 35-plus seasons: $3,468,960
Detroit Pistons
Under Age 25 seasons: $89,639,664
Age 25-29 seasons: $203,462,880
Age 30-34 seasons: $34,941,838
Age 35-plus seasons: $0
Golden State Warriors
Under Age 25 seasons: $27,762,035
Age 25-29 seasons: $13,425,925
Age 30-34 seasons: $12,219,512
Age 35-plus seasons: $289,860,990
Houston Rockets
Under Age 25 seasons: $180,780,567
Age 25-29 seasons: $151,412,844
Age 30-34 seasons: $41,116,837
Age 35-plus seasons: $0
Indiana Pacers
Under Age 25 seasons: $22,895,461
Age 25-29 seasons: $328,122,200
Age 30-34 seasons: $167,973,872
Age 35-plus seasons: $5,000,000
Los Angeles Clippers
Under Age 25 seasons: $1,955,377
Age 25-29 seasons: $60,783,230
Age 30-34 seasons: $112,927,478
Age 35-plus seasons: $91,547,554
Los Angeles Lakers
Under Age 25 seasons: $9,540,781
Age 25-29 seasons: $190,848,373
Age 30-34 seasons: $26,378,480
Age 35-plus seasons: $52,627,153
Memphis Grizzlies
Under Age 25 seasons: $10,522,054
Age 25-29 seasons: $294,567,477
Age 30-34 seasons: $63,551,930
Age 35-plus seasons: $0
Miami Heat
Under Age 25 seasons: $13,728,066
Age 25-29 seasons: $158,647,888
Age 30-34 seasons: $218,759,496
Age 35-plus seasons: $4,150,000
Milwaukee Bucks
Under Age 25 seasons: $1,955,377
Age 25-29 seasons: $2,546,674
Age 30-34 seasons: $250,418,569
Age 35-plus seasons: $121,774,039
Minnesota Timberwolves
Under Age 25 seasons: $53,237,471
Age 25-29 seasons: $296,615,510
Age 30-34 seasons: $113,592,440
Age 35-plus seasons: $48,774,038
New Orleans Pelicans
Under Age 25 seasons: $10,049,737
Age 25-29 seasons: $181,393,495
Age 30-34 seasons: $109,039,032
Age 35-plus seasons: $0
New York Knicks
Under Age 25 seasons: $5,039,497
Age 25-29 seasons: $165,453,640
Age 30-34 seasons: $427,030,409
Age 35-plus seasons: $0
Oklahoma City Thunder
Under Age 25 seasons: $43,739,687
Age 25-29 seasons: $175,542,094
Age 30-34 seasons: $88,260,060
Age 35-plus seasons: $0
Orlando Magic
Under Age 25 seasons: $106,305,989
Age 25-29 seasons: $401,620,349
Age 30-34 seasons: $43,243,000
Age 35-plus seasons: $0
Philadelphia 76ers
Under Age 25 seasons: $5,199,049
Age 25-29 seasons: $168,705,600
Age 30-34 seasons: $261,513,684
Age 35-plus seasons: $165,848,100
Phoenix Suns
Under Age 25 seasons: $4,863,137
Age 25-29 seasons: $53,142,264
Age 30-34 seasons: $315,888,800
Age 35-plus seasons: $54,708,609
Portland Trail Blazers
Under Age 25 seasons: $26,326,423
Age 25-29 seasons: $130,572,098
Age 30-34 seasons: $102,620,689
Age 35-plus seasons: $0
Sacramento Kings
Under Age 25 seasons: $4,923,720
Age 25-29 seasons: $93,879,141
Age 30-34 seasons: $225,467,583
Age 35-plus seasons: $34,570,000
San Antonio Spurs
Under Age 25 seasons: $39,721,992
Age 25-29 seasons: $177,748,794
Age 30-34 seasons: $19,000,000
Age 35-plus seasons: $0
Toronto Raptors
Under Age 25 seasons: $51,201,174
Age 25-29 seasons: $379,281,113
Age 30-34 seasons: $39,000,000
Age 35-plus seasons: $0
Utah Jazz
Under Age 25 seasons: $29,359,418
Age 25-29 seasons: $138,262,254
Age 30-34 seasons: $117,646,604
Age 35-plus seasons: $0
Washington Wizards
Under Age 25 seasons: $29,818,680
Age 25-29 seasons: $119,952,179
Age 30-34 seasons: $55,599,201
Age 35-plus seasons: $0
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: The Warriors have invested in (very) veteran players like no other team in the NBA
