Jimmy Butler Rumors on Injury Recovery Timeline as Warriors GM Addresses Trade Buzz After Torn ACL
Golden State Warriors wing Jimmy Butler suffered a season-ending torn right ACL on Monday during his team's 135-112 home win over the Miami Heat.
Unfortunately, the injury may have an effect on Butler's status for the beginning of 2026-27, per ESPN's Shams Charania on Tuesday's edition of NBA Today.
"The Warriors are already embracing for the possibility and the potential likelihood that he's gonna miss the start of next season," Charania said.
Butler is under contract with the Warriors on a two-year, $111 million deal through 2026-27. Regarding a potential trade, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy shot down rumors.
"I don't envision that," Dunleavy told reporters. "Now that you've brought it up, I'd say my vision for him is to give us a boost next year the same way he did last year when he arrived."
Dunleavy's comments come after ESPN and Andscape's Marc J. Spears reported that it was unlikely for Butler to be traded.
"We don't see Butler getting traded. One GM told me he says doubtful. Too much money. The thing with the Warriors is I've been told that they haven't wanted to add salary," Spears said.
The 36-year-old Butler averaged 20.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in 38 starts this season.
Butler arrived in the Bay Area after Golden State landed the former Miami Heat star in a blockbuster trade last February. The deal rejuvenated the Warriors, who were once 25-26 but finished 48-34 and made the second round of the playoffs.
This year's team hovered around .500 for much of the season but has caught fire of late, going 6-1 in its last seven games to move to 25-19 overall and eighth in the Western Conference.
Unfortunately, losing Butler is a tough blow for the Warriors. The six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA player was second on the team in scoring, third in assists, third in rebounds and first in steals. That production, and his leadership, might be impossible to replace, especially at this juncture.
Golden State does have time before the Feb. 5 trade deadline to potentially make any big moves, but in the meantime, the Warriors must move forward without Butler. The Toronto Raptors are up next at home on Tuesday evening.
