A big win can flip to disaster in minutes, and while some fans were multitasking with Live Cricket BPL on another screen, Golden State were hit with the cruelest kind of news: Jimmy Butler has suffered a severe knee injury and is out for the season. The diagnosis is clear and brutal, a torn ACL in his right knee. Recovery will take at least a year, meaning that when he returns he will be 37, no longer the same player by default and forced to fight time as much as opponents.
From the Warriors’ point of view, the nightmare starts the moment the injury becomes official. Before Butler went down, the team had finally found a workable rhythm, a way to win without overloading Stephen Curry every night. Over the past 12 games they won nine, and during a four game win streak they made at least 20 three pointers in every outing. It was a rare stretch where everything looked smooth, but an injury like this can slam the brakes on momentum with no warning, the kind of shock that makes even a calm locker room feel like it has been punched in the gut.
The decision to trade for Butler in the middle of last season was a calculated gamble designed to satisfy Curry’s remaining championship window. Management not only pulled off the deal but followed it with an immediate extension. Butler’s contract timeline was aligned with Curry’s, running through the summer of 2027, and the ideal plan was obvious: three serious title pushes across 2025, 2026, and 2027. That plan already slipped once when Curry missed time last season, and now Butler’s season ending injury threatens to close this year’s window entirely. Even looking ahead to next April, the team’s real odds become a huge question mark.
The contract makes everything heavier. Butler is owed about 54.13 million this season and 56.83 million next season, and that is not a number teams line up to absorb, especially with an ACL tear attached. In the worst case, Golden State could spend two years and 111 million dollars and get only a partial season of regular season availability in return. Rumors had swirled about further upgrades, but most of those ideas assumed Butler was healthy. A possible pursuit of a perimeter scorer like Michael Porter Jr might add shooting, yet it would not replace Butler’s two way edge or playmaking. Even the more dramatic chatter about Giannis becomes far less realistic, because without a healthy Butler, the Warriors lose a major piece needed to make that kind of blockbuster happen.
Kuminga remains a movable asset, but his market value alone is unlikely to transform the franchise’s outlook. The medical history is also worrying. Butler’s right knee has been injured more than once, and repeated issues can complicate rehab. Recent examples across the league show how an ACL tear can derail even elite careers, and those cautionary tales hang in the air.
Still, writing Butler off completely would be counting chickens before they hatch. He has always been one of the league’s toughest competitors, built on grit and stubborn belief. While Live Cricket BPL rolls on for another night, the Warriors are left facing a hard reality, hoping that Butler’s resilience can deliver a different ending than the usual script.