The Golden State Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler last season in order to widen their championship contention window and temporarily delay tough questions regarding their future. Four-time title-winning head coach Steve Kerr has publicly stated that he expects the veteran wing to dictate the team's pace on offense. Given how important he is to the Dubs' 2025-26 ceiling, a healthy Butler is vital. Well, he is already facing issues in that department.
The 2023 All-NBA Second-Team selection and four-time All-NBA Third-Teamer “tweaked his ankle a little bit,” per Nick Friedell. Fortunately, Golden State anticipates that he will be fine. It remains to be seen if this will impact Butler's status for Sunday's preseason opener versus the Los Angeles Lakers. Kerr's current plan, per Friedell, is to play core rotation guys approximately 15 minutes each.
Seasoned pros like Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Butler and free agency signing Al Horford should not require significant exhibition action over the next couple of weeks, but building chemistry is always important. Those latter two players could particularly use extra court time with the rest of the squad. But injuries seem inevitable at this point of Butler's career.
What does Jimmy Butler have left to give the Warriors?
The 36-year-old has not played 65 regular season games in a single campaign since 2018-19, which puts the burden on the Warriors to preserve him as much as possible before the playoffs. Golden State has to get there first, though, and he will be a big part of that process.
Butler averaged 17.9 points, 5.9 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 30 games with the Dubs last season. His 27.9 shooting percentage from 3-point range was a hindrance, but the six-time All-Star was a huge boost to the Warriors down the stretch. He may not be able to put a team on his back like he could in his Miami Heat days, however, as evidenced by an overall inconsistent showing in the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs. Curry must still be the engine.
If No. 30 was able to suit up in the Western Conference Semifinals, who knows what kind of effort Golden State could have posted against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jimmy Butler remains an integral component of this franchise, though. He will surely monitor his ankle situation in the coming days.
