Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy told reporters Tuesday night that he will not be trading Jimmy Butler before the Feb. 5 trade deadline, despite Butler’s torn ACL and the team’s ongoing struggles.
“I don’t envision that,” Dunleavy 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.”
Warriors Continue To Deal With Injuries
Golden State has been plagued by injuries dating back to last season, when veteran guard De’Anthony Melton tore his ACL in November. A month later, Dunleavy traded Melton’s contract to the Brooklyn Nets for Dennis Schroder.
Then last February, he flipped Schroder as part of the package to the Miami Heat in the Butler trade. As part of the agreement, Butler signed a two-year, $111 million contract extension.
He’s making $54.1 million this season and will earn $56.8 million in 2026-27.
Mike Dunleavy said he does not envision he will trade Jimmy Butler’s contract and believes Butler will rehab and return to help the team at some point next season pic.twitter.com/FjU1xzDnb6
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 21, 2026
Butler tore his right ACL during the third quarter of a 135-112 win over the Miami Heat on Monday night. His knee buckled upon landing after catching a pass in the middle of the paint and colliding with Heat guard Davion Mitchell.
Per Basketball Reference, Butler entered Monday averaging 20.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 31.4 minutes per contest on 51.9/38.1/86.2 shooting in 37 games.
Butler, who will turn 37 in September, is expected to miss the start of the 2026-27 season. The 15-year veteran also tore his right meniscus in 2018 and sprained his MCL in 2024.
“At his age, to have the year he’s had is impressive,” Dunleavy said of Butler. “I think he’s got a style of game that can play for a long time with his skill, his physicality, his mind for the game. So I guess my vision for him is him returning at some point between now and this time next year.”
Jonathan Kuminga Returns With Butler Out
Head coach Steve Kerr reiterated after Monday’s game that Jonathan Kuminga “absolutely” could receive playing time with Butler out along with injuries to Draymond Green (right ankle sprain) and Gui Santos (left ankle sprain).
“With Jimmy out, obviously there’s a hole at that spot in our roster,” Kerr said. “JK’s going to factor in here again.”
Kuminga, who issued a trade demand to the franchise last week, made his first appearance Tuesday night since Dec. 18 at Phoenix. He finished with 20 points, five rebounds, two assists, and a steal in a 145-127 home loss to Toronto.
With Butler sidelined, the Warriors could potentially play Kuminga for the rest of the season, have him recoup his value, and then attempt to trade him again over the summer.
