Shams Charania’s analysis after Golden State Warriors’ Jimmy Butler’s injury

It’s morning in the United States, and the first ripple effects of Jimmy Butler’s stoppage are already being felt around the Golden State Warriors.

On SportsCenter, Shams Charania reported that Butler has been diagnosed with a torn ACL, a season-ending injury that closes his year immediately and puts his recovery on a timeline that “really looks into the next calendar year.” In Charania’s words, it “shatters” Golden State’s hopes of contending for a championship around Stephen Curry, especially as the team had been playing its best basketball: four straight wins and 12 victories in their last 16.

Charania also emphasized Butler’s impact since arriving in Golden State. With Butler, the Warriors posted a .676 winning percentage dating back to last February, and this season he was having one of the most efficient campaigns of his NBA career. Charania placed him among a small group combining 20+ points per game with playmaking and an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.0 or higher, alongside Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jamal Murray. With Butler set to turn 37 this summer, Charania noted the length of the recovery and the questions it raises about his future.

In the short term, the spotlight shifts to Jonathan Kuminga. Charania described the Warriors heading back onto the roller coaster of Kuminga’s situation: without Butler, the organization’s focus will be squarely on him and on what direction to take. Kuminga, Charania said, requested a trade last week on the first day he was eligible to be dealt (January 15), and sources told him the relationship with Steve Kerr is “fractured beyond repair.”

That leaves Golden State at a crossroads: attempt to reset and go all-in on Kuminga, or search the market for a deal that helps the Warriors compete without Butler, because his absence creates a “gaping hole” in the roster. Charania cited two teams with interest in Kuminga — the Dallas Mavericks and the Sacramento Kings — and floated the idea of a player like DeMar DeRozan as the type of fit Golden State might explore. One way or another, Charania’s bottom line was clear: the Warriors are about to find out exactly where they stand with Kuminga this season.