The Warriors came away with a comfortable 135-112 win over the Heat last night. Unfortunately, they lost Jimmy Butler to a season-ending ACL injury during the third quarter of the game.
He exited the game with 17 points, three rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 21 minutes of action while shooting 6-11 from the floor (54.5 FG%). Subsequently, former Warriors player Nick Young went on the ‘Gil’s Arena’ show and took multiple jabs at the Warriors’ misery.
“Against your old team, too. Somebody is not living right. Somebody is not living right, man. Go pray,” said Young as he tried to draw a cosmic explanation for Butler’s injury against his former team.
“That’s just karma. I don’t want anybody to get hurt, but that rarely happens against your old team. Steve Kerr is treating people badly over there. That’s tough, man,” Young further added with a subtle jab at Steve Kerr.
“I do wish him a speedy recovery, but he ain’t gonna be speedy no more. That’s the last time he’s gonna be speedy,” said Young in a harsh reminder to Butler that he’s 36 years old and not growing any younger.
The former NBA champion seemed off with Steve Kerr for not using Jonathan Kuminga well. They continued to joke about how Kuminga may have reacted to Butler’s injury.
He also reminded Butler that an injury of this gravity at this point will likely derail or severely impact what is left of his career. They concluded that the Warriors are finished for the season, as this severely hampers their ability to contend for a title.
Kerr spoke after the game yesterday and acknowledged the possibility of a silver lining for Jonathan Kuminga from this injury, despite his trade request.
Moreover, rumors suggested that even the front office is now open to trading Jimmy Butler. It will be interesting to see if they make any moves before the deadline.
The 36-year-old Warriors forward has so far averaged 20.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists while shooting 51.9% from the field and 37.6% from behind the three-point line in the 38 games he played this season.
Butler remained in high spirits even as he exited the floor. Stephen Curry also claimed Butler was joking with his teammates despite his injury. But he will likely not play at this level when he returns to action. Turning 37 in September 2026, Butler is near the tail end of his career as well.
Do you think the Warriors will trade Butler? Will Jonathan Kuminga benefit from Butler’s injury? So many unanswered questions. Let us know what you think in the comments section.
