Jimmy Butler Tears ACL: End of an Era for Golden State Warriors?

Losing Jimmy Butler for the rest of this season could give the Golden State Warriors a unique—if not uncomfortable—opportunity.

What ended the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty? Butler’s injury probably did it.

(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

The NBA lost one of its lasting forces on Monday night, as Warriors star Jimmy Butler endured a devastating ACL injury in a Monday night victory over Miami. ESPN’s Shams Charania has already reported that Butler will miss the remainder of the season, one that has the Warriors dangling in Western Conference purgatory as the regular season hits the halfway mark.

“He’s an alpha. He’s one of those guys in the league who everybody else in the gym knows that’s the guy,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said in the aftermath, per the New York Post. “He has that presence, but he also has that game where we can play through him possession after possession.

“Assuming we’ll be without him for a little bit, we’re going to miss him, we’ve got a lot of players who can play and we’re showing our depth right now. We’ll just wait for the news to figure out what’s next.”

Jimmy Butler joking around after tearing his ACL pic.twitter.com/ZEfddy4FlW https://t.co/o1YxqJEngu

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 20, 2026

Butler’s Injury Hurts in More Ways Than One

Kerr certainly isn’t the only one watching and waiting: the current iteration of the Warriors essentially serves as “The Simpsons” of basketball: they’re yellow, they’ve been around forever, familiar names are still attached, but both sides will continue to go through the mediocre motions until someone pulls the plug, which risks a significant loss of profit for the powers that be.

This season has more or less been dawn for the day after a wild party in the Bay Area. By all means, Golden State is still sitting relatively pretty on the NBA leaderboard: its 25-19 record in a cutthroat Western Conference is tied for 11th-best in the league and would be tied for fourth if the Warriors played on the opposite coast.

Franchise face Stephen Curry continues to produce at a high level as he inches toward age 38, as his current scoring average is his second-best since getting 32 per game during the Warriors’ last title run in 2021. Partly fueled by last winter’s trade for Butler, the Warriors also perhaps bought themselves a little time with a playoff win over second-seeded Houston last spring before going without an injured Curry in a five-game defeat to Minnesota.

But, by Kerr’s own admission, the modern Warriors appear to be no match for modern postseason staples like Minnesota, Denver, or defending champion Oklahoma City. San Antonio also appears to be back on top, while Houston’s atonement for the aforementioned first-round defeat saw them enlist former Curry companion Kevin Durant. Against that group of five, Golden State holds a 3-6 record, and that was with Butler, who now must engage in a lengthy rehab at the age of 36, ironically enough.

As It Stands, Golden State Faces Two Lukewarm Options

The Butler injury further forces the Warriors into a meandering no-man’s land: as long as Curry’s around, it feels like Golden State is destined to play more than 82 games no matter what. He doesn’t have any apparent interest in moving on and wearing, but one jersey feels like an appropriate end to his game-changing journey. To this day, the Warriors appear willing to serve appetizers for Curry’s continued presence, as they brought in his brother, Seth, in December.

Curry’s fellow yellow California staple, Draymond Green, is in a similar spot: his instigating activities still carry a bit of lingering effectiveness, though one can make a case for his deadline exit with an eight-figure player option attached to his current contract.

Marc Spears:

“We don’t see Butler getting traded. One GM told me he says doubtful. Too much money. The thing with the Warriors is I’ve been told that they haven’t wanted to add salary” pic.twitter.com/T3L00EyLYm

— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) January 20, 2026

Butler’s injury was not an isolated incident, as the fall of the Bay Area empire was a multi-pronged process: second overall choice James Wiseman never cashed in on his 2020 potential. To its credit, the Warriors found some buried contributors beyond the lottery (i.e., Brandin Podziemski, Quentin Post), but nothing that gives them much of a leg to stand on in the clash of the Western titans.

The loss of New Orleans-bond Kevon Looney, the versatile paint presence that made himself invaluable in the modern Association despite his limited scoring contributions, also hasn’t helped in that regard.

Elsewhere, Wiseman’s lottery successor, 2021’s seventh pick Jonathan Kuminga, appears to be in a competition with the organization to see who can burn their bridge faster. In a perfect world, Kuminga would slide into Butler’s vacated spot, but there’s no sign of any reconciliation as the trade deadline approaches. Kuminga has not taken the floor in this new calendar despite beginning the year stationed in the Golden State, starting five.

End of an Era in the Bay?

That creates an uncomfortable conundrum: do the Warriors fund a Curry/Green farewell tour (with special guest Klay Thompson if the Dallas Mavericks keep selling) or do they rip the band-aid off by trading Green and letting Curry walk when he becomes a free agent in 2027?

The Warriors have obviously bought themselves some goodwill to have a retirement tour, and if anyone’s capable of commandeering a playoff series, it’s Curry, who doesn’t want to go abroad. There’s a chance they can engage in a combination of both, keeping Curry while stockpiling whatever assets they can in potential departures for Kuminga and other potential free agents-to-be, like Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton.

The Jimmy Butler injury is just the latest heartbreak for Warriors fans. It gets to a point… pic.twitter.com/dfFQrSmof3

— Guru (@DrGuru_) January 20, 2026

Even Butler could be on the table in a Damian Lillard-style deal if the franchise is willing to take on some dead money, as his agent Bernie Lee (h/t Anthony Slater, ESPN) reiterated that his goal remains the earning of an elusive championship … one that doesn’t feel like it’s following the Warriors to San Francisco.

In any event, Butler’s injury is perhaps the death rattle for the uncanny way the Warriors somehow conjured and extended their championship lifespan. Butler himself was the source of such eternal youth last time around. But if the Warriors want to live to fight another day, it may be time to either take calls on Curry or fully commit to the bit of nostalgia.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags