The Golden State Warriors have been red-hot recently, but the loss of Jimmy Butler throws things into chaos. That’s true of the current season and the near future as well. Butler was a huge addition last year, helping push the Warriors out of the lottery and into the second round of the playoffs.
However, with his future uncertain and his absence for the rest of this season, the Warriors are at a crossroads. Butler’s arrival, extension, and top-level play convinced the team they could still contend in the final years of the Steph Curry era.
Now, Curry no longer has a running mate despite this team being built to compete right now. They were heating up, but the Warriors will probably cool off now. What does this mean for the team now? What about in the future?
Golden State Warriors lose Jimmy Butler to torn ACL
Jimmy Butler went up to catch a pass in the third quarter of an eventual Golden State Warriors win, their 12th in the last 16 games. When he came down, he collided with Davion Mitchell, and his knee bent. He went down immediately in pain.
As he was helped off the floor, unable to put weight on his leg, he told the officials he was owed two free throws. “He was still cracking jokes over there while he was on the ground,” Warriors guard Steph Curry said via ESPN. “In true Jimmy fashion, he’s always gonna have a good time no matter what the situation is.”
His agent, Bernie Lee, offered up a statement. “Obviously a gut punch on every level for Jimmy and the entire group, but I firmly believe that this is a part of the journey. We can’t only expect to take the good things out of it. I’ve known for over 10 years now that Jimmy is going to win a championship before he is done. My belief in that is unwavering.”
Butler had been having another quality season alongside Curry, but he’s not going to play again until sometime during the 2026-27 season. By then, the Warriors could be in an entirely different situation than they are now.
What does this mean now?
The Warriors are obviously still good enough to compete, but they are going to have trouble without Jimmy Butler. They will need to make yet another big trade to get a piece to replace Butler and maybe even push them over the top, but it will cost, and the Warriors aren’t exactly flush with salary cap or assets.
The Warriors do have all of their next seven first-round picks, but they’ll need to dip into those to get a good player. They are well over the first apron, though. They would need to get really creative to find a financial solution. It may not be possible, but the Warriors will try. As long as they have Steph Curry, they will try.
What does this mean for the future?
The future is now also in turmoil. It remains to be seen how many years the Golden State Warriors have left with Steph Curry. Jimmy Butler was supposed to extend their contender status with Curry before he retired. Now, there’s no telling what an aging Butler coming off an injury of this magnitude will look like.
There’s a good chance that by the time he’s good to play at a high level again, the Warriors have had to tear it down and move on. That could lead to another Butler trade as the Warriors see Curry retire and have to hit the hard reset.
It’s unlikely, but it is not totally implausible to think Butler has played his last minute for the Warriors.
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