As the Golden State Warriors look to juggle planning for the future and increasing their chances to contend with Stephen Curry on the roster, they have reportedly dangled a protected 2025 first-round pick in discussions ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic reported Wednesday that the Warriors “floated” such a pick around the league “as a potential sweetener if the right deal were to materialize.”

Golden State is an interesting position approaching the deadline.

On the one hand, it is just 23-23 and still a game behind the Sacramento Kings for the final spot of the Western Conference play-in tournament, let alone the actual playoffs. On the other hand, it has Curry and Draymond Green on the roster and could contend against anyone in an individual series with a timely addition.

The record suggests the front office might be better off just focusing on the future, but Curry may not have many more realistic runs at a championship left after he turns 37 years old in March.

Yet Slater and Thompson explained Golden State doesn’t see much downside with giving up a protected first-rounder in the upcoming draft.

“The protection and timing of the pick is important,” they wrote. “League sources say the Warriors aren’t necessarily enamored with the prospects predicted to land in the back end of the first round, so losing a pick in the late teens for even a valuable rotation piece could prove plenty worth it.

“Once it conveys, they’d retain full control of their 2026 first-rounder for any possible deals this summer. If it didn’t convey, that would mean the Warriors tumbled into the lottery and retained a high-value draft pick in a top-loaded draft that could either be moved or used. The downside is relatively minimal.”

This development comes after Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports reported Tuesday that Golden State was “one of several teams back in the mix for Jimmy Butler.”

For all the Butler-related drama with the Miami Heat this season, he is a proven playoff performer and would give Golden State another go-to option alongside Curry in a postseason series.

Or perhaps the Warriors will land another impact player ahead of the deadline that would improve their immediate outlook without sacrificing too much of their long-term future given their evaluation of the upcoming draft class.