Monday afternoon Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr announced that forward Jimmy Butler will not be available for the Tuesday exhibition game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Butler will miss the game with an ankle sprain he sustained at practice on Friday.

Butler, who missed the game Sunday night against the Los Angeles Lakers for personal reasons and had an excused absence, is thought to return for Friday's preseason finale.

ESPN's Anthony Slater reported the injury on social media Monday.

Slater reported that the ankle is "a little swollen", but there is hope for a Friday return.

This is the second time this that Butler suffered an injury to the ankle in the last month. In the beginning of training camp he tweaked his ankle which caused him to miss practice. It did not cause him to miss the preseason opener against the Lakers. 

It is not the kind of news Kerr wants to hear a week ahead of the start of the NBA regular season. Butler has a past riddled with nagging knee and ankle injuries and does not have the ability to play through them.

When he was with the Miami Heat, Butler averaged 58.2 games per season. He only played in 60 games or more twice in his five years with the team. Heat Club president Pat Riley made an example of Butler in the past regarding his lack of availability. 

The Warriors happen to have an older, veteran club. Matters like this tend to happen during the season, but this is not how Kerr wants to start the season. 

In the event Butler is forced to sit for the start of the regular season, it is anticipated that Jonathan Kuminga would step into his starting role. That would benefit Kuminga who is looking to prove himself after his contract debacle this fall. The better he plays also helps the Warriors as they can showcase him in the event of a trade before the deadline.