Jimmy Butler III’s season-ending ACL injury has created instability in the Golden State Warriors’ 2025-26 campaign, sowing serious doubt about their NBA playoff hopes. As a result, it may have changed the course of action regarding what they intend to do with young, athletic forward Jonathan Kuminga.
What Insider Said About Jonathan Kuminga’s Standing With Warriors?
Butler tore his right ACL in the Warriors’ matchup against the Miami Heat, his former team, on Jan. 19. The injury will sideline him for the remainder of the season, seeing Golden State lose its second-best scorer.
Kuminga has been on the bench for a significant period, not seeing minutes on the court for a long stretch of games. Having requested a trade prior to Butler’s injury, he has since returned to action with his star teammate being down for the count.
Team reporter Anthony Slater provided some intel on the Warriors’ approach with Kuminga. Even though Golden State tried to find the right packages from other teams to deal Kuminga, Butler’s injury may have placed a major dent on those trades actually coming to fruition.
“Multiple team sources have described it as less likely Kuminga is moved following Jimmy Butler’s right ACL tear. Prior to that injury, Kuminga was a $22.5 million wing rotting on the bench, having not seen the floor for 16 straight games. Without Butler, he’s back in the mix, scoring 30 points in 30 bench minutes before the injury. There’s internal conversation that he’d get another crack at minutes post-deadline — if he’s still around. That has yet to be determined, though,” Slater wrote.
Butler was helping Golden State have a solid stretch of performances and significant winning momentum before suffering the injury. Having played 38 games, he ended this season with averages of 20 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. He shot 51.9% from the field, including 37.6% from beyond the arc, and 86.4% from the free-throw line.
What Lies Ahead for Kuminga and Warriors?
The Warriors will continue fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive without Butler. However, they will need to patch things up with Kuminga so they can stabilize their season and prevent a free fall in the standings.
Kuminga missed an entire month of basketball with DNPs from mid-December to mid-January. He has since returned to the court following Butler’s injury, averaging 15 points, three rebounds, and two assists in the two games he played. However, a knee injury sidelined him in the squad’s last two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves, indicating the need for Golden State to be wary of more injuries.
Golden State has a 26-22 record this season, sitting in eighth place in the Western Conference standings. The squad is above the Portland Trail Blazers by 2.5 games and the Los Angeles Clippers by 3.5 games. However, they trail the Phoenix Suns by two games and the Timberwolves by 2.5 games.
The Warriors will conclude their four-game road trip before returning home for two consecutive games. They face the Utah Jazz on Jan. 28 at 9 p.m. ET before hosting the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 30 at 10 p.m. ET.
