Did Jimmy Butler’s injury weeks before the trade deadline completely close the Warriors’ title window?

Is this the end Golden State Warriors as we know them? Jimmy Butlerwhich ultimately proved to be the most impactful trade deadline during the 2024-25 season, revitalized the Warriors’ championship quest, making the dream of a fifth championship since 2015 a real possibility.

While many questioned Butler’s arrival at the time, the Warriors regained something that had truly been absent since their magical title run in 2022: belief.

Stephen Curry consistently expressed his desire to win the fifth ring near the end of his career, and Butler’s presence created the best path to possibly achieving this goal. After all, Golden State has won close to 70 percent of its games since acquiring Butler in February 2025.

That hope and belief in a championship forged the identity of the Warriors this season. This team has been playing its best basketball in recent weeks and it looked like the Dubs would enter the trade deadline with plans to really cement themselves as legitimate title contenders this year, giving Curry, Steve Kerrand Draymond Green’s last chance to win a championship together.

All those hopes and dreams were completely shattered Monday night at the Chase Center, as Jimmy Butler’s pained scream echoed through the entire arena, which fell silent within seconds. Butler was lying on the ground, clutching his right knee was in severe pain, and could not put any weight on his leg as he was helped to the dressing room.

For Warriors fans, it was like déjà vu all over again, and memories of Klay Thompson’s knee injury during the 2019 NBA Finals and Curry’s hamstring injury in the playoffs last season were all they could think about.

Butler has since been diagnosed with a torn right ACL and will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season. Regardless of outside perception, this organization believed that at full strength, with Curry, Butler and Green at the helm, this group could win the 2026 NBA Finals.

Now the immediate and long-term future in San Francisco is unknown, especially as the sense of shock has paralyzed the franchise. At the age of 36, Butler was playing some of the best basketball of his career and suddenly he’s gone. Curry, who continues to play at an MVP level at age 37, is now without a Robin for his Batman, like Butler nickname of two last season.

Is this really the end of an era for the Warriors?

All good things come to an end in life, and every dynasty in professional sports eventually fails. Even Kerr will admit that this team is a “fading dynasty.” For the Warriors, these next two weeks will dictate whether that championship window is completely closed and a new era in franchise history has begun.

After all, it’s not like owner Joe Lacob and the Warriors organization haven’t had to overcome similar challenges in the past.

Thompson and Kevin Durant suffered major injuries during the 2019 NBA Finals, resulting in Golden State’s loss to the Toronto Raptors. The Warriors then missed the playoffs for two straight seasons, seeing Thompson suffer another major injury as well as Curry and Green sidelined. That didn’t stop this franchise from moving forward and eventually winning another title in 2022.

Lacob, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and organizational leadership always tend to find a way. But with limited time before the trade deadline and the sudden loss of Butler, the championship dreams that existed less than 24 hours ago are quickly fading for this team.

Did Jimmy Butler play his last game with the Warriors?

The Warriors drew a lot of criticism for signing Butler in 2025, but he was exactly what the organization needed.

Butler was another experienced, leading voice in the locker room to complement both Curry and Green, plus he instantly became an extension of the coaching staff for the younger players on Golden State’s roster. Slow start to the season and consistent the drama surrounding Jonathan Kuminga’s contract situation it wasn’t big because Butler helped create a sense of faith.

Monday night marked the Warriors’ 12th win in their last 16 games and the first time all season that the team has won four straight contests. The Dubs were peaking at the perfect time before the trade deadline, and this piece of basketball is why everyone in the organization still believed it was possible to win another championship with this group.

But losing Butler to a torn ACL is more significant than not having his production on the field.

The little things Butler does to get the most out of his teammates on the court and his two-way play on the wing can’t be duplicated by anyone on this roster. He’s an All-Star talent who couldn’t have been a better fit next to Curry, giving him a shot at another championship.

While it’s still theoretically possible for the team to achieve, it could only be possible by trading Butler since his season is over.

“Obviously a huge blow on every level for Jimmy and the whole group,” Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee told ESPN on Tuesday. “We’re going to make some functional decisions here over the next few days, and then we’re moving on to the next one. … If you know anything about Jimmy, you know exactly how he’s going to attack this challenge. Simply put, he’s got this.”

All options will be on the table for the Warriors nearly two weeks before the trade deadline, including the possibility of trading Butler as they try to maximize their championship push this season. Butler makes $54.1 million this season and $56.8 million through 2026-27 before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

The Warriors traded De’Anthony Melton after he tore his ACL last season, and that trade ended up landing Butler. There may be a similar move that Dunleavy, Lacob and the front office can make this time around, using Butler’s salary to fill the large hole that now exists next to Curry and Green.

Whether that’s the case or not, all roads still lead to Kuminga and his situation, which becomes even louder now that Butler is gone.

Jonathan Cuminga’s Riddle

Kuminga never wanted to return to the Warriors this past offseason. This was a marriage that had run its course with the young forward and Kerr never agreed on anything, and Cummings’ camp made it clear to Warriors management that a fresh start was what they wanted.

That didn’t happen, as the sides agreed to a two-year, $46.8 million contract that could jump to $48.5 million if Kuminga were to be traded, which seemed like a given not too long ago.

The Warriors have been scouring the trade market since the start of the season to see what value could be presented in a potential Kuming trade. Now, with Butler out for the season and the team in clear need at the forward position, that could potentially lead to the most unlikely path to keeping Cummings past the trade deadline and reintegrating him in the night rotation?

“Sure. Absolutely,” Kerr said Monday night when asked if he could return to Cummings with an injured Butler. When asked if the young striker will be fit and training, Kerr replied briefly: “Yes. Yes.

It is clear that this the relationship is irreparable. Kerr bench Kuminga in favor of others sent a clear message to the former lottery, and the young man’s refusal to play by claiming that he had a back injury at the last minute before the Jan. 2 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, when many of the team’s starters sat, it was a clear indication that the two sides wanted to move on.

Golden State clearly wants to move Cummings before the trade deadline for another young wing talent who can provide immediate championship upside, but is such a move even on the cards? As with the offseason, the Warriors may be forced to wait to trade Kuminga, taking what has become a very toxic situation after the trade deadline into the offseason.

Still, the issue of keeping Kuminga and possibly finding some kind of compromise for him to play after Butler’s injury doesn’t solve the obvious problem that he doesn’t want to be there, and the organization really doesn’t want him.

In the crazy scenario that Kuminga does return to the floor and play for the Warriors, will he be able to fill Butler’s void or will he try to highlight his own talents? Perhaps this is a chance for him to increase his value and create a broader market heading into the summer, but Kerr and the Warriors can’t fix the Kuminga drama.

The damage is done, and when the Warriors need Kuming the most, he may not be there for them. This situation, along with the trade deadline in two weeks, will set the stage for what the future of the Warriors organization looks like.

Trade deadline decisions become more complicated

Trading Cummings has been the focus of the Warriors so far, but this mindset could suddenly change once Butler is out and the possibility that he could be traded is on the table.

The bottom line is that the Warriors took a huge step back in the championship equation as a result of Butler’s ACL injury, and now the question is whether Lacob and Dunleavy believe there is a move that can still give their team a shot at a title this year.

More specifically, does it make sense to sacrifice future assets right now to make an all-in, desperation move at the trade deadline?

With Butler’s injury occurring on Monday night, there is still no answer to this question. The Warriors are always evaluating the trade market for potential low-cost acquisition opportunities, similar to what they found with Butler a season ago. However, Golden State is now on the opposite side of the spectrum, as teams know they’ll be desperate to try to make a move before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.

If he and the front office made the decision to move Butler, then the question is whether such a trade would have to come with draft compensation for any team taking on the star’s contract and dead money, as he will be rehabbing from an ACL injury. Would the Warriors even want to commit to future draft picks, knowing they won’t get the same production Butler provided them?

And of course, there’s the long-standing question of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with the Milwaukee Bucks. Lacob and the Warriors have long been linked to Antetokounmpo and have held onto assets for years in hopes that a player of his caliber would hit the trade market.

Is there a possible scenario where Giannis is actually available in the next two weeks until the trade deadline, and there’s a way the Warriors can move Butler and other valuable assets for the two-time MVP?

These are all questions that Warriors management needs to address before this season’s trade deadline, leaving no telling where the franchise is headed.

All that is known is that while Curry continues to play at an MVP level, he cannot carry this team to a championship by himself. While Golden State has great depth, perhaps the best in the NBA, a true No. 2 option is needed to have any chance of contending for a title.

Butler was that No. 2 option next to Steph, and now that he’s gone, the Warriors don’t have much time to keep the title window open.