Dunleavy addresses the media following Jimmy Butler’s injury

SAN FRANCISCO – Expectedly somber atmosphere at Chase Center afterwards Jimmy Butler’s season-ending tear. From the fans getting ready outside the pre-game for the game in between Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors feeling pointless in the grand scheme of injuries to team employees and security going through the motions as they roam the halls of the arena. There is a Butler-sized crater in the center of the Warriors’ roster and the heart of the team, players and fan base.

“I just feel terrible for him that he’s going to miss the rest of the year,” the coach Steve Kerr he said in his media availability before the match. “It’s just part of the game. I know injuries are part of it, but it sure hurts.”

Ahead of the Warriors’ first game since Butler’s season-ending injury, general manager Mike Dunleavy spoke to the media about the franchise’s direction in the critical days ahead.

“Tough 24 hours for the group, especially Jimmy,” Dunleavy said. “I don’t have a positive spin on the news. It’s not good. ACL injuries are not things you can be positive about, but you know, this will turn out well in the end, and we’ll move forward.”

With two weeks to go before the trade deadline, everything is up in the air for Dunleavy and the Warriors as the organization tries to figure out what to do to recover from the loss of its second-best player, a situation that was already fragile at best as this period closes.

What’s on the table for Dunleavy and the Warriors?

Dunleavy retained what warriors fish for near his chest. But the Dubs general manager addressed some burning questions about the Warriors’ trade deadline plans, specifically which they are willing to part with with and how they value their capital draft.

“Our guys are always going to be and have been in the game. To give up our picks, it has to make sense to get something back,” Dunleavy said. “And for that reason, there’s only so many players that we’re probably putting things like that on the table … if we’re talking about trading a draft pick that’s going to come out when Steph’s not here, it’s going to have to be a player that we think we’re going to get back that’s going to be here when those picks come out.”

Dunleavy also used the same reasoning for using his salary cap space beyond 2027 – there’s a willingness to sacrifice a draft pick and use valuable cap space to take on bigger, longer contracts if it’s the right player.

What that right player is, only Golden State really knows, but it seems to rule out fringe moves below a superstar-like player.

But while their draft picks are on the table, Butler’s mega $54.1 million salary is not. Dunleavy declined to potentially use Butler’s contract to go star-hunting, saying he doesn’t envision himself going that cold-blooded route.

What remains up in the air is Jonathan Cumminga’s future and what the Warriors decide to do with him. Dunleavy talked about the 23-year-old’s trade demand, hinting at the scarcity of his trade market in one of his reporter’s most memorable quotes.

“As far as the (trade) requests, I’m aware of that,” Dunleavy said. “In terms of demand, when there’s demand, there has to be market demand. We’ll see how that plays out.”

How it has been going so far has not been encouraging. The Sacramento Kings floated the same stale Malik Monk/Keon Ellis trade, while the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Chicago Bulls showed only minimal interest. basically, nothing the Warriors would appreciate was offered. That signals that if nothing improves on the market, the Warriors could turn to trying to regain Cummings’ value by playing him in Butler’s absence.

How Jimmy Butler is doing after an ACL tear

The preliminary plan because Butler needs to decide on a date for surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. The idea is to attack the rehab process and get him back by this time next year.

“It’s a recoverable injury,” Dunleavy said. “We’re optimistic about that.”

The general manager said Butler is still in good spirits despite the devastating injury. Based on how he posted a photo of himself called “General Soreness” in a general’s uniform and the fact that he was joking around as teammates helped him off the floor, it certainly looks like the case from the outside looking in.

“I hate it for him, on a personal level, a former teammate,” Dunleavy said. “I’ve been through some injuries and surgeries, but never an ACL or anything that significant. So I know he’s got a long road ahead of him, but he’s going to have the support of our group, our organization, our medical side.”

Kerr expressed the same sentiment about Butler.

“I’m just disappointed for Jimmy. You know, he’s having a great year. I felt like the last few weeks, at the top of his game,” Kerr said. “Obviously we’re going to miss Jimmy and he’s one of the best players in the league so you can’t minimize it, trivialize it, but you play with what you’ve got and I like what we’ve got.

Golden State will turn to the depth they boasted during their 12-4 stretch of their last 16 games. Kerr said there will be some experimentation and tinkering over the next few weeks, but he remains confident in the group that remains.

“I think we have enough to compete,” Kerr said. “I think Al and Melton gave us a different dynamic. A lot of our young players, Quentin and Richard, those guys are ready to contribute. They contributed. We have depth, so we can keep this thing going.”

Golden State has until February 5 to decide on its next direction. They are willing to use their draft capital and are willing to take big money, but it has to be for the right player.

It remains to be seen whether this will come true and whether Kuminga’s market will materialize. The only thing that remains certain is their need to maximize Stephen Curry’s final years. Their decisions over the next few weeks will dictate the course of the final chapter of a legendary career.