Jimmy Butler shares update on ACL recovery, future with the Warriors

SAN FRANCISCO -- Nearing the four-month mark since ACL surgery on his right knee, Golden State Warriors wing Jimmy Butler predicted a loud return to the court whenever he is ultimately cleared this upcoming season.

"I'm right back to who I've always been," Butler told ESPN. "Probably better if we was to really talk about it. I know I'm still going to be a top player whenever I get back. I have a couple good years left in me, and we're going to ride it until the wheels fall off."

Butler made an appearance in San Francisco this past week, serving as the signature guest for the Warriors' announcement of a sponsor of a new jersey patch. After the panel, Butler spoke with ESPN about his future with the franchise and his desire to retire in a Warriors uniform.

"End is a bad word, but this is where I want to be done," Butler said. "Retire here. This organization is top-tier. It's the best. Keep it a buck. It's the best. You're playing with one of the greatest players ever. I'm grateful to be able to witness this. I want to be able to do my part, get this organization back on top where we belong."

The Warriors traded for Butler at the February deadline in 2025. He sparked a 23-8 run down the stretch that season, muscled them into the playoffs and helped them upset the second-seeded Houston Rockets in the first round.

But his first playoff run with the franchise faded because of a Stephen Curry hamstring injury, destroying their chances of beating the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round.

"It just sucks because we ain't never really been healthy together," Butler said. "Part of winning is being healthy. You ain't seen us healthy at the end in the playoffs when it matters. Let's be healthy and then all of that [doubting] can be heard."

Butler's second playoff run with the Warriors never materialized. In the middle of his best stretch of the 2025-26 regular season -- a 12-4 Warriors' surge with Butler averaging more than 20 points per game on premium efficiency -- his right knee buckled on an awkward landing during a Jan. 19 win over the Miami Heat, tearing his ACL.

"Jimmy's injury just changed everything," head coach Steve Kerr said.

The Warriors tumbled to a 37-45 finish and were eliminated in the play-in bracket, generating further questions about the near-term viability of their aging core, in part because Butler's knee rehab is expected to keep him out for a large chunk of next season.

Butler will turn 37 in September. He had surgery on Feb. 9. The Warriors' director of medicine, Rick Celebrini, is known for his cautious approach with veterans in the late stages of rehab. De'Anthony Melton returned from his ACL tear last season at exactly the 12-month mark.

That tentative early February timetable would line up with the early messaging from general manager Mike Dunleavy, who voiced a hope to get Butler back for a midseason boost similar to the one Butler gave at the February 2025 deadline.

"I mean, hell, I hope it's early season," Butler said. "I want to play as many games as I can while I can alongside Steph and [Draymond Green]. That was the reason that Joe [Lacob] and them brought me here."

Butler estimated that he is still around six weeks from full-speed running and said, while he is capable of jumping off his left leg and dunking, he is not yet able to put the weight of that landing on his right leg. So there are several months of rehab and several significant checkpoints ahead before a return date can be plotted.

"That will be up to Rick and the team downstairs," Butler said. "They're incredible. Not only is Rick the best at what he does, man, he calms my nerves a lot. I really got somebody to talk to because he's [torn his ACL] before and he's helped other individuals through it. I'm not going to rush it, but I know I'm going to come back ready and I know I'm going to come back better than ever. Legitimately."

There are both competitive and financial motivations for Butler to get back to his full self. He's on an expiring $56.8 million contract, lining him up to be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Butler becomes extension-eligible on Feb. 6, almost exactly a year from the ACL surgery and five days before the 2027 trade deadline.

Butler's teammates, coaches and the Warriors' front office decision-makers have continually sung his praises since he joined the franchise. Behind the scenes, Dunleavy and Lacob have voiced a mutual desire to keep him in the picture and rehab him back to the high-impact wing who fit so well next to Curry.

But the Warriors also sniffed around the trade market last February and are doing the same this summer, generating at least some noise that, should a large-scale trade materialize, Butler's expiring contract could be the vehicle to make it happen.

"You talking about being traded?" Butler said. "It wouldn't be the first time. [But] it's good to know that I'm wanted here. If I get traded, I get traded. Their job is to win. Can I help them do that? Yes. If they feel like somebody else can help them do that on a quicker timetable than whenever I come back, then they got to go and do that, but as of right now, I'm here. I don't take that for granted. I'm grateful, but if I'm going to be here whenever I get back, we're going to be just fine."br/]