The Golden State Warriors could only watch in horror as forward Jimmy Butler III crumpled to the floor with what was later described as a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee.
With that injury, Butler is now going to just watch games from the Warriors’ bench or even the Chase Center stands this season. Losing Butler is a devastating blow to Golden State, which had high hopes of returning to the NBA playoffs this season.
Jimmy Butler III Must Deal With Devastating Injury
In Monday night’s home game at Chase Center against the Miami Heat, with less than eight minutes left in the third quarter, Butler went up to grab a lob pass down low. When he landed back on the court, Butler let out a scream and immediately fell to the floor.
Butler immediately grabbed his right knee, leaving one of his nearby teammates to put his hands on his head in shock. On-court cameras caught Butler screaming. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr called for a timeout and headed out to check on his star player.
Warriors star Jimmy Butler III suffered a season-ending injury:
— 📸 (@archive1517) January 22, 2026
Before Tuesday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors, who pummeled the Warriors 145-127, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. addressed what he envisions for Butler’s future with the franchise.
When asked by a reporter about the possibility of the Warriors trading Butler’s contract before the February 6 NBA trade deadline, Dunleavy didn’t think that would happen.
“I don’t envision that, but now that you’ve brought it up, I guess I’d say the vision for him is to give us a boost next year, the same way he did last year when he arrived,” Dunleavy said. “At some point during the season, he’ll return, and he’ll be the player he’s been.”
As far as a return timeline for Butler is concerned, besides missing the rest of this season, there’s a chance that he doesn’t make it back for the 2026-27 NBA season, too. On Tuesday, ESPN NBA Insider Shams Charania said that it looks like Butler might be out for a full calendar year.
ACL injuries take time to recover from for any athlete, especially in the NBA, where running up and down the court and jumping for rebounds are key elements of any player’s game.
Right now, Butler is in the first year of a two-year, $111 million contract. Butler is scheduled to make $54.1 million this season. He’s also under contract next season for $56.8 million.
It looks like Butler is in for a long rehabilitation time. The Warriors might go out into the NBA trade market and see if they can acquire a replacement at forward for the rest of this season.
