The Golden State Warriors' season had been looking up in recent weeks, but it all came screeching to a halt in the third quarter of their eventual blowout win over the Miami Heat on Monday.

With 7:41 remaining in the third, a slightly errant entry pass from Brandin Podziemski to Jimmy Butler required Butler to jump to grab the ball. The defense being played by the Heat's Davion Mitchell forced Butler into an awkward landing, putting all of his weight onto just his right leg.

The leg buckled, and Butler immediately hit the floor, yelling in obvious pain while clutching at his right knee. He was eventually helped off the floor by some of his teammates and looked to be in good spirits, joking back and forth with them, but the injury looked to be anything but humorous in the moment.

Butler underwent an MRI after the game, and it was announced just after midnight on the West Coast that Butler had officially suffered a torn right ACL, ending his season and raising questions about the direction both the Warriors and Butler himself will take moving forward.

Butler was playing fantastically before the injury, providing a steady, veteran presence for the Warriors and showing up time and time again as the "Robin" to Steph Curry's "Batman." Butler will finish this season with 38 games under his belt, averaging 20 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on 51.9% field goal shooting and 37.6% three-point shooting.

In the 68 total games Butler's played with the Warriors since they traded for him last February, he averaged 19.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. Even though the stats don't necessarily jump off the page, Butler's impact was far greater than his box scores.

The Warriors went 46-22 with Butler in the lineup — a 55-win pace for an entire season. This season, the Warriors went 23-15 with him playing, and 2-4 when he was unable to take the court. Regardless of who takes his place in the starting lineup and absorbs his minutes, Butler's absence is a huge blow to a Warriors team that seemed to be finding a rhythm recently.

The injury comes at an inopportune time, not only because of the momentum the Warriors were building on the court, but also for what it could mean off the court.

Butler turned 36 years old back in September, making him the second-oldest NBA player to tear his ACL in the past two decades, only younger than Chris Andersen, who was 38 when he tore his ACL in 2017.

Uncomfortable conversations will have to be had about whether Butler will be anywhere near the same player when he returns, especially considering the potential of him not returning at all. An ACL tear is one of the worst injuries in basketball and typically saps a lot of athleticism and explosion from players — a trait that already seemed to be dwindling within Butler when comparing his play this year to that of even just a few years ago.

Butler will be at least 37 years old by the time he's able to come back. At that point, it's a fair question to wonder how much he'd be able to contribute returning from such a serious injury at that age.

The Warriors as a team find themselves now in an awkward position, too, even outside of the glaring hole that Butler leaves. They were in the trade market looking to offload Jonathan Kuminga and other potential pieces to make a win-now move next to the aging Curry and Butler, but that may be off the table now. In fact, it's been reported that trading Butler himself may be a possibility in order to maximize their chances of winning a championship this year while Butler recovers.

The Warriors are also in an unfortunate spot with their cap space. The injury occurred after the deadline to apply for the Disabled Player Exception, meaning they're unable to nab additional flexibility to sign or trade for players to replace Butler. Butler's contract will remain on the books, and as it stands, the Warriors have very little wiggle room under the second apron.

It's simply an awful situation for everybody involved. The Warriors will have to figure something out soon, as they go into the remainder of this season without one of their leaders.