Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors' dream of winning a fifth Championship are all but over, as All-Star Jimmy Butler suffered a season ending ACL tear on Monday in their win against the Miami Heat.
As ESPN's Shams Charania first reported, Butler suffered a torn ACL in the third quarter of the Warriors' 135-112 win over the Miami Heat and will miss the rest of the 2025-26 season.
The injury questions the 35-year old's career moving forward, and he will enter the last year of his contract next season when he returns from injury
After a disappointing start to this season, the Warriors were able to climb back up the standings slowly, going 12-4 over the last month to rise to eighth in the Western Conference standings.
The Warriors will struggle to remain competitive for the remainder of the season without their second-best player. They will likely need to make some drastic changes before the February 5 trade deadline to give themselves any chance at playoff success this season.
Forward Jonathan Kuminga, who officially became trade-eligible on January 15, requested a trade on the same day.
Kuminga began the season as a starter and started well, but was recently taken out of the rotation and hasn't featured for over a month.
He's unlikely to net a large return for the Warriors, but he may be involved in a bigger deal to get Steph Curry some help.
The Warriors are restricted on what they can do this trade deadline, already being $11 million over the first apron, and any large deal at the deadline, will likely send them over the second apron.
The Warriors are interested in acquiring either Trey Murphy from the Pelicans, or Michael Porter Jr from the Nets. Both players fit the needs for the Warriors, with elite shooting, size and rebounding.
To complete either of these deals, the Warriors would likely have to give up Draft capital, and deal Kuminga to a third team.
Trading any future draft capital may be risky, as Stephen Curry, and Jimmy Butler are both out of contract at the end of 2027, and may both retire after next season, which would see an end to the Curry era in Golden State.
