Steve Kerr, Al Horford, Draymond Green, Will Richard, Jonathan Kuminga, Gui Santos, Golden State Warriors game, Warriors injury report, Is Kuminga playing tonight, Jimmy Butler injury update, Jimmy Butler injury return timeline, Warriors news
The Golden State Warriors injury report features a number of other players as they prep for their first game after Jimmy Butler tore his ACL.
The Golden StateWarriors‘ 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.
Whetherit’s Butler’s injury recovery, trade rumors surrounding him, JonathanKuminga’s future,or anything else regarding thefranchise,they’ll have to move forward and make the best of what they have, whichright now is very uncertain.
Heading into their first game afterButler’s injury, the Warriors have a lengthy injury report, whichdoesn’t even include their second-leading scorer in Butler or Seth Curry, whois dealing with sciatica in his back.
Anthony Slater
Al Horford is sitting tonight on the second night of a back-to-back vs Raptors. Draymond Green, Will Richard and Gui Santos are all questionable for the Warriors in their first game after the Jimmy Butler ACL tear.
“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 Warriorsare set to take on the Toronto Raptors in a game thatis filled with uncertainty and likely somemajor 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 hewouldn’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 ashe’s dealt with sciatica and a few other lingering health concerns to begin the year.Overall, hehasn’t been what the Warriorsthought 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 anddidn’t play in the game versus Miami. Thoughhe’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 heis still listed as questionable, afterButler’s injury, Kerr said that the team expects him to play against the Raptors.
“We’re hoping to get Gui back tomorrow. I thinkhe’s going to play, butwe’ll see. And obviously,we’ll get Draymond.Itlooks like both of them will beback. Sowe’ll keep plugging along,”Kerr said, according toNBC 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 reportsthat hinted the Warriorswould entertain the idea of trading him and his massive contract, but according to Marc Spears, that does not appear to be the case.
Oh No He Didn't
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”
“Wedon’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 isI’vebeen told that theyhaven’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, the36-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 wouldpoint to that being the case, but as seen with the quickrecovery from other players acrossa 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 amajor chunk of next season remains a strong possibility.
As for Kuminga, he remains the biggest unknown for the team, and likely the league as a whole. Despite his fractured relationship with Kerr and thecoach’s response to a question about him, Slater reported the 23-year-old is ready to play should his name be called upon.