The Golden State Warriors have a pivotal decision to make as the Feb. 5 trade deadline looms closer.
While Jimmy Butler will be inactive moving forward due to a torn ACL, the Dubs still have the option of trading the six-time All-Star for an ideal win-now asset.
On Wednesday, the Warriors reportedly made their stance clear on parting ways with Butler this season.
"I don't envision that," Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said. "Now that you've brought it up, I'd say my vision for him is to give us a boost next year, the same way he did last year when he arrived."
Considering Butler’s career-altering lower-body injury occurred months before the postseason, there’s a good chance he’ll be able to participate once the 2026-27 season commences in October.
If Butler had gotten injured during the first or second round of the playoffs, like Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum did last year, his status for the next season would be in jeopardy.
Fortunately for Butler, there’s no reason to believe he’ll miss all of the Dubs’ 2026-27 campaign, assuming his surgery and rehab go as planned (the average recovery time from an ACL injury is between 8-12 months, meaning worst-case scenario, Butler will miss the first few months of the season).
For that reason, Dunleavy and the Warriors believe it would be in their best interest to retain Butler.
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