Jimmy Butler won’t be there for opening night, but Golden State is increasingly confident about when he will be. The latest reports place Christmas Day as an internal target, and the broader expectation around the league is that the six-time All-Star will be back well before the February trade deadline, per Bleacher Report.
Where the recovery stands
Player: Jimmy Butler, SF/PF – Golden State Warriors
Injury: Torn right ACL (January 2026)
Surgery: February 9, 2026
Status: Out indefinitely – targeting Christmas 2026
Expected return: Dec. 25 (optimistic) / January-February 2027 (realistic)
Butler tore his ACL against the Miami Heat in late January, 38 games into what had been a promising season with Golden State. Surgery followed two weeks later, on February 9. He turns 37 on September 14 – an age that makes every timeline projection more nuanced than it would be for a younger player.
The good news: as of late August, Butler was reported to be “not that far away from running,” with no setbacks and no limitations flagged during rehab. The belief inside the league is that a return before the trade deadline is “very likely.” Christmas would give Butler roughly 10.5 months of recovery – well within the normal range for ACL surgery at the professional level, though the process varies with age.
What this means for Golden State
Without Butler, the Warriors lean on Stephen Curry and DeMar DeRozan – who joined the team this summer – to carry the load through the early months. The moment Butler steps back on the court, Golden State becomes a different team: his ability to draw fouls at an elite rate, his wing defense and his experience in high-stakes moments give the Warriors dimensions no off-season addition can replicate. A healthy Butler for the second half of the season – and a potential playoff run – could be the difference between an early exit and something much more. The Warriors aren’t setting a hard date publicly. But December 25 is circled.
