Fans and the Dub Nation were hoping to avoid a third serious injury after Jimmy Butler was shouting in pain, “My knee.” He suffered the injury against his former team, the Miami Heat, and needed wheelchair assistance to exit the Chase Center. The MRI confirmed a season-ending injury within hours, leaving everyone questioning, is this how his stint ends in the Bay Area?

The injury to the right knee happened with 7:41 left in the third quarter, and the 6x All-Star was in immediate pain. This brought flashbacks of Butler’s previous issues with his right knee. He had a meniscus tear in 2018 and an MCL sprain in 2024 on the same knee. Now, the 36-year-old has suffered a torn ACL in Monday’s 135-112 win over the Miami Heat.

He was unable to put weight on his right foot as he made his way to the tunnel. In 37 games before Monday’s, Butler was averaging 20.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 51.9% from the field and 38.1% from 3. Butler’s ACL tear projects to end any previous long-shot hope of Golden State competing in the West.

The Warriors traded for Butler in an effort to compete for another championship on the back end of Stephen Curry’s prime. This season, Butler was the second-best scorer for the team, and apart from the duo, the production from the others has been poor. Now, the second-best active shooter on the team is Brandin Podziemski, who has just started 12 games with just 12 points on average.

On the other hand, Curry is averaging 28+ points per game. He’s having a phenomenal season at 37. However, the Dubs’ win percentage in the West remains at 0.568, with a 25-19 record. That’s why fans are adamant and are demanding a trade for Butler right now.

Jimmy Butler loses support after the injury

The Warriors have done this before, as they traded De’Anthony Melton, who was out of the 2024-25 season after suffering an ACL tear. Golden State received Schröder and a second-round pick. So, a fan straight away suggested the same in Butler’s case. “Please make a trade @warriors.” Last year, when the Warriors traded for Jimmy Butler, it was revitalizing.

With him in the lineup, the team had a 23-7 record and was able to push towards another championship. They were closer to 5th ring for Stephen Curry, but now the injury has derailed that momentum. A fan sadly commented on a trade and called it a business decision. “So much respect to Jimmy, feel so sad. Unfortunately it’s a business and the main priority is to give Steph Curry the chance to win another championship. So if you can trade Jimmy Butler to a team that wants to tank or whatever you have to do you need to do it. Ugh 😞.”

Steph Curry is 37, and he himself stated that right now he is only thinking “it in two-year chunks.” So, a fan of Curry wanted either of the two things. “Either trade Jimmy for something or trade Curry away so he can enjoy the end of his career”. With the injury, it’s clear that the team can’t rely only on 4x NBA champion. That’s why the trade to bring Butler was done in the first place.

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Even the youngsters have failed to inspire confidence amongst the fanbase consistently. That’s why a netizen suggested trading Jonathan Kuminga in the Butler package to get something of value in return. “Ship Jimmy trade kuminga we move nothing else can be done”. The Bucks did the same by trading Damian Lillard after his Achilles tendon tear.

They have used the NBA’s “stretch provision” to spread Lillard’s remaining salary ($22.5M/year) for cap purposes. And now the one injury to Butler has led to fans wondering about different outcomes that the front office can take. “My mind is racing in a million different directions like wtf is the warriors even do at this point like do they even wanna trade JK anymore? Are they gonna trade Jimmy now? Do they still wanna stay competitive or tank? So many questions idk what’s gonna happen I’m terrified 😩.”

With Jonathan Kuminga’s trade still being discussed, this adds more pressure for the Warriors. Now, they have to worry about dealing with the future of the team with one player’s injury.