Some fans have learned to be skeptical of any promises made by Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. That applied Tuesday when the GM spoke about Jimmy Butler.
Butler suffered a season-ending torn ACL on Monday during the Warriors’ game against the Miami Heat at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. The injury was a devastating blow to a Warriors team that had already felt like it was treading water with Butler still fully healthy.
One reporter asked Dunleavy about the possibility of trading Butler before the deadline, noting that the team dealt De’Anthony Melton last season after the guard suffered a torn ACL of his own.
“I don’t envision that,” Dunleavy responded, seemingly taken aback by the question.
“But now that you’ve brought it up, I guess I’d say what I’d envision for him is giving us a boost next year, the same way he did last year when he arrived. At some point in the season, he’ll be returning.”
Dunleavy added that he believes Butler has a style of play that could age gracefully, even as he recovers from a serious knee injury.
Several fans, however, were not easily swayed by Dunleavy’s words. Many recalled how Dunleavy had said something similar about Jordan Poole years ago, stating that he could see Poole staying for “at least” four more years. Golden State ended up trading Poole to the Washington Wizards less than a month later.
i don’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth after what he did with Poole lmao
— 𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚜 🏆 (@LosSoWavyy) January 21, 2026
He said this about Poole and Wiggins and both were gone within a week💀
— rocketk11 (@rocketk11) January 21, 2026
— GratefullyDead (@FullyLiquidated) January 21, 2026
It’s hard to imagine the Warriors trading Butler within weeks of his devastating injury. It would feel like kicking Butler while he’s down, which would not be a great look for Golden State as a franchise. Even if Dunleavy and the rest of the Warriors’ brass do consider trading Butler, they probably wouldn’t hint at that a day after he tore his ACL.
The Warriors were already in dire straits before Butler’s injury, with Steve Kerr admitting that Golden State does not have much chance of competing with the top teams in the West. The team’s odds of getting far in the playoffs look even more bleak without Butler.
