The first half of next season might end up being a total wash for Jimmy Butler.
A return date of January or February would be considered “optimistic” for the injured Golden State Warriors star Butler, Anthony Slater of ESPN reported on Tuesday. Slater notes that Butler has “extensive” rehab work ahead and that Rick Celebrini (the Warriors’ lead medical decision-maker) is known for cautious approaches.
The six-time All-Star Butler suffered a torn right ACL during a game in mid-January of last season (see the video here). He is now almost eight months removed from that injury but still appears to have a fairly long way to go in his recovery.
Butler also turns 37 years old later this month. While Butler has moved away from explosive athleticism as he has aged, it is still an open question as to what exactly the former All-NBA selection will look like upon his return.
That said, Butler does at least have some incentive to push himself in his rehab. Butler is entering the final year of his contract next season at $56.8 million, so he needs to build back some sort of value before hitting unrestricted free agency in summer 2027.
But the reality remains that the talent-starved Warriors will likely be without Butler until at least the second half of next season. There have also been some rumors that Golden State could potentially try to find a way out of their partnership with Butler.
