Warriors Injury Report: Navigating the Post-Jimmy Butler Era

The Golden State Warriors‘ entire season, and the subsequent next few seasons, have been turned on their head after Jimmy Butler tore his ACL on Monday night in a game against the Miami Heat. Whether it’s Butler’s injury recovery, trade rumors surrounding him, Jonathan Kuminga’s future, or anything else regarding the franchise, they’ll have to move forward and make the best of what they have, which right now is very uncertain. Heading into their first game after Butler’s injury, the Warriors have a lengthy injury report, which doesn’t even include their second-leading scorer in Butler or Seth Curry, who is dealing with sciatica in his back. “Al Horford is sitting tonight on the second night of a back-to-back vs Raptors,” team insider Anthony Slater wrote in a post on X. “Draymond Green, Will Richard and Gui Santos are all questionable for the Warriors in their first game after the Jimmy Butler ACL tear.” Less than 24 hours after Butler tore his ACL, the Warriors are set to take on the Toronto Raptors in a game that is filled with uncertainty and likely some major challenges for the entire organization. Warriors Injury Report After Butler Injury For starters, Horford’s sitting is nothing new. Before the season, it was reported that he wouldn’t play in back-to-back games for the entire year, and likely the rest of his career. He suited up against the Heat on Monday night, finishing with ten points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes. The 39-year-old has been in and out of the lineup as he’s dealt with sciatica and a few other lingering health concerns to begin the year. Overall, he hasn’t been what the Warriors thought when they signed him over the summer, but with Butler out, like the rest of the team, he could see an increase in minutes for the second half of the season. As for Green, he is dealing with an ankle sprain and didn’t play in the game versus Miami. Though he’s appeared in 36 games this year, the aging veteran has also been listed as questionable for several contests through the first three months of the season. Richard, in his rookie year, has surprisingly seen a ton of run under head coach Steve Kerr, suiting up in 39 games so far. However, while he did play 26 minutes on Monday, he is facing a glute injury that could sideline him on Tuesday. Santos has now missed two games in a row with an ankle sprain of his own. While he is still listed as questionable, after Butler’s injury, Kerr said that the team expects him to play against the Raptors. “We’re hoping to get Gui back tomorrow. I think he’s going to play, but we’ll see. And obviously, we’ll get Draymond. It looks like both of them will be back. So we’ll keep plugging along,” Kerr said, according to NBC Sports Bay Area. Many players will likely see an increase in minutes with Butler now set to miss the rest of the season. Jimmy Butler Injury News Roundup As mentioned, Butler’s injury has caused the entire Golden State organization to change course. There were initial reports that hinted the Warriors would entertain the idea of trading him and his massive contract, but according to Marc Spears, that does not appear to be the case. “We don’t see Butler getting traded,” he said on NBA Today. “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.” Additionally, insider Bobby Marks added that it is now too late for the Warriors to make a case for a disabled player exception to the league for Butler. Though other teams have done it with their own players this season, the 36-year-old’s injury occurred too late in the year, making it nearly impossible for Golden State to free up another roster spot in his place. Senior insider Shams Charania also reported that the franchise is preparing for the reality that Butler will miss the start of next season as well. Typical ACL injury recovery timelines would point to that being the case, but as seen with the quick recovery from other players across a number of different sports, it was unknown what his timeline would be. But considering his age and the fact that he is yet to have surgery on his knee, the potential of Butler missing a major chunk of next season remains a strong possibility.