In the wake of the Golden State Warriors' hectic trade deadline and crazy recent wins, it might slip one's mind that Jimmy Butler's ACL injury was just a few weeks ago. With how well players like Gui Santos have been playing in his absence, the impact has been slightly mitigated, too, but make no mistake — Butler's presence would have changed a lot about how the trade deadline was approached and how this team would be viewed right now.

Alas, Butler is indeed relegated to the sidelines because of his torn right ACL, but for now, he continues to recover as best as one can from such a devastating injury.

On Monday afternoon, ahead of their wild win over the Memphis Grizzlies, the Warriors announced that Jimmy Butler had undergone surgery on his torn ACL earlier that day.

In the press release, it was said that the surgery, which took place in Los Angeles with Dr. Bert Mandelbaum, was successful in reconstructing the torn ACL. Butler is now able to begin rehab immediately and is expected to make a full recovery.

The Warriors also said that an update on his progress will be provided early next season, and reiterated previous announcements that Butler's 2025-26 season is officially over.

It's all the right steps in the recovery from an ACL tear, and it's great to see that there were no hiccups in Butler's surgery or in his time leading up to the operation. Especially with Butler's age and the previous injuries he's had in that leg, though at a lower severity before, precautions are obviously going to be heavy.

Now that Butler has had his surgery, estimates can start to be made about when he will return. Most athletes take around 9 months to make their full return, give or take a few months depending on the severity, how their body is responding to rehab, and more.

The most familiar comparison would be De'Anthony Melton. The current Warriors guard tore his ACL in November of 2024 and returned to the court exactly one year after he had his surgery on December 4th.

If that's the case, Butler would miss much of the next season, as well. It's a toss-up depending on how his rehab goes and if the Warriors need his services sooner rather than later in the early-going of the 2026-27 season.

With the trade they made for Kristaps Porzingis at the trade deadline and the repeated assurances that Butler is still in their plans for the near future, however, it does seem like Butler will still be involved in the Warriors' playoff push, at least for next year.

Curry and Butler's contracts both expire next year, while Porzingis is a free agent this year. It can almost be viewed as a test run this year between Curry and Porzingis, and if the fit is good and the health is steady, the Warriors can re-sign Porzingis and run it back in 2026-27 with them two and Butler as their big three. 

In fact, the only players signed to a contract beyond 2026-27 is Moses Moody and Will Richard. Everyone else will need a new contract either this offseason or next offseason, putting this iteration of the Warriors in a clear spot to try to compete now and worry about the future later.