SAN FRANCISCO– Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler has suffered an injury deemed a season-ending torn right ACL, according to NBA insider Shams Charania, throwing the Dubs’ season into complete and utter turmoil.
Butler suffered the season-ending knee injury in the third quarter of Golden State’s 135-112 win over the Miami Heat. Butler landed awkwardly after jumping high to catch a pass, with his knee buckling inward, causing him immediate pain as he collapsed to the floor.
A dead-quiet, crestfallen Chase Center crowd could only watch on as the Warriors players huddled around Butler, writhing in agony on the hardwood, with everyone fearing the worst for one of the engines of this team. And while Butler continued to crack jokes and keep his spirits high as Buddy Hield, Gary Payton II, and Jonathan Kuminga helped him off the floor, he was unable to put any weight on his right leg as he left the arena to get an MRI.
After the game, Steve Kerr described the mood in the locker room as “subdued” and “concerned,” as the Warriors waited with bated breath for news on Butler’s knee.
“You never like to see a situation like that, especially somebody as tough as he is,” Stephen Curry said post-game before the extent of Butler’s injury was known. “Praying for the best, obviously, with scans and all that, and we’ll figure it out. But hopefully he’s alright.”
Golden State’s path forward in the short and long-term
Butler’s injury comes at an especially devastating time for Golden State, as the team had finally begun to build some momentum. The win over the Heat marked their 12th in 16 games after a rocky start to the season. At 25-19, the Warriors had gained ground on the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns, who sit in the sixth and seventh seed, respectively, just a game and a half ahead of them, thanks in large part to Butler’s efforts.
In 38 games this season, Butler averaged 20.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists on 51.9% shooting. He had raised Golden State’s ceiling the moment he arrived in the Bay Area last year. And this season, the Warriors had essentially solved the non-Curry minutes thanks to Butler running the second unit like the Navy.
But without Butler moving forward, things become dire very quickly for a team nearing the end of its dynastic run.
With little wiggle room and few assets to make a move to mitigate Butler’s absence in the short-term, the Warriors find themselves in purgatory moving forward this season. While they’ve dangled Kuminga here and there for a potential upgrade, the offers have been less than appealing in their attempt to move the needle.
Sure, there’s always the cold-blooded logic of moving Butler and his $54.1 million salary for a potential star. But that scenario would require a very specific type of disgruntled star asking out and the Warriors being willing to push in their post-Curry era draft picks into the pot– an already unlikely scenario that grows even more precarious as those picks become even more precious with Butler sidelined the next 10 months.
Jimmy Butler’s spirits intact
Even as Butler was helped off the court, he was making jokes. He ribbed Kerr and the officials that he should have gotten two free throws on the play, smiling with Hield as they took him to the tunnel.
“It’s kind of funny, he was still cracking jokes over there while he was on the ground,” Curry explained. “The ground in true Jimmy fashion. Always knows how to have a good time, no matter what the situation is. I do love that perspective and that part of his personality. Even in the worst moment, he was still having a good time.”
Butler has had a history of injuries on that same knee– a torn meniscus back in 2018, which cost him 17 games that season, and an MCL sprain in 2024 right before the playoffs, ending his season after the Celtics beat the Heat in five. But this ACL tear will obviously be his most significant injury to date, putting the 36-year-old’s basketball future in jeopardy. Butler is owed $54.1 million this season and $56.8 million next season, the final year of his deal.
For Hield, he has absolute faith that Butler will do whatever it takes to get back on the court.
“Whatever is to come, he’s gonna attack it,” Hield said post-game, trying to keep spirits up. “He’s a hard worker. I see him get his body in shape this summer. He looks tremendous, tremendous. He works hard. He’s a guy that take’s care of his body. He wants to compete, and I think [do] whatever it takes and get back on the court quickly.”
Buddy Hield on Jimmy Butler and team’s spirits in the wake of his knee injury as he undergoes an MRI:
“I know he was in great spirits on the court when he was walking off. Our hope is it’s on the low end of things, nothing too serious.”
Hield helped him walk into the tunnel. pic.twitter.com/bdGysiEMMD
— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) January 20, 2026
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