The Golden State Warriors were already pushing up hill to become a legitimate championship contender this season, but any chance they did have has effectively been ruined by a season-ending knee injury to star forward Jimmy Butler.
ESPN's Shams Charania has delivered the worst possible news on Butler following Monday night's win over the Miami Heat, reporting that the 6x All-Star has indeed suffered a torn ACL that puts him out for the season.
Warriors season in ruins after Jimmy Butler's knee injury
The timing of this also means that Butler could very well miss the first-half of next season, assuming the general 12-month recovery time for such an injury. While basketball is a team game and younger Warrior players will now get a chance to step up, doing anything meaningful in the playoffs is going to be nigh on impossible without your second-best player who is making $54 million this season.
Spare a thought for Golden State veterans Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, both of who will now have to battle on without the third member of the experienced trio who continue to lead everything the team does on the floor.
Butler had changed the fortunes of the team since his blockbuster arrival from the Heat last February, with the Warriors going on a 23-8 run to end last season before taking out the two-seed Houston Rockets in the first-round of the playoffs.
Breaking: Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler has suffered a season-ending torn right ACL, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/WIbPQqubfJ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 20, 2026
While Golden State have had an underwhelming start to this season, they are finding form with 12 wins in their past 16 which included a dominant second-half performance against Miami on Monday night.
All eyes will now turn to what the Warriors do before next month's February 5 deadline. If there is one silver lining to his devastating news, it's that it's occurred prior to a major trade being made. Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the Golden State front office will now be able to re-evaluate their position, including what to do with wantaway forward Jonathan Kuminga.
It's safe to presume that the Warriors will now be less aggressive than what they may have otherwise been if Butler was still healthy, but that doesn't takeaway from the intrigue on a situation that might now be even more complicated.
At 25-19 and six games above .500, the Warriors will have no choice but to push on an continue vying for a playoff spot. Their path without Butler will start straight away against the Toronto Raptors in the second night of a back-to-back at Chase Center on Tuesday.