Jimmy Butler’s ACL recovery is trending in the right direction, but the Golden State Warriors still are not ready to put a firm date on his return.
Butler tore the ACL in his right knee in January and underwent surgery shortly afterward. Since then, Golden State has planned for its second star to miss extended time. What has changed over the past few weeks is how the recovery is progressing, not exactly when it will end.
Butler is increasing his on-court workload
ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported this week, via Hoops Rumors, that Butler has been slowly increasing his on-court work and that recent strength tests on the surgically repaired knee have shown notable progress. Strength testing is one concrete benchmark teams use to judge whether an ACL repair is responding well under load.
Slater described January or February 2027 as an optimistic target, not a confirmed return date. The Warriors have not announced a timetable, and the next meaningful milestone will be clearance for full-contact basketball activity.
What it means for Golden State
The Warriors still have to build their early-season rotation without Butler, leaning on Stephen Curry and the supporting cast until he is medically cleared. Butler is expected to be limited to individual court work and strength training when camp opens, with full-contact clearance still to come.
If the optimistic January-to-February target holds, Butler could have two to three months of regular-season basketball to rebuild conditioning and chemistry before a playoff push. Even then, a staged return with managed minutes would be more realistic than an immediate full workload.
Golden State’s caution matters because progress in rehabilitation does not guarantee a fixed return date. The encouraging news is that Butler is increasing his workload and showing measurable strength gains. The unresolved question is how his knee responds as the intensity rises.
The Warriors’ outlook until Butler returns
Without Butler available on opening night, Golden State must generate enough offense and perimeter defense to remain competitive in the Western Conference. Any January or February return would be a boost, but the Warriors cannot responsibly build their first-half expectations around the best-case scenario.
Miami, the team that traded Butler to Golden State, has moved on with a different roster. For context, read NBA Trending’s analysis of the Heat roster after the Klay Thompson signing.