Per the Golden State Warriors, forward Jimmy Butler will finally get surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee, suffered during a home game against the Miami Heat on January 19. Butler garnered the injury on an awkward landing after catching an entry pass thrown high up in the air by Brandin Podziemski.
The surgery will take place in Los Angeles and will be performed by Dr. Bert Mendelbaum.
Warriors say Jimmy Butler will undergo surgery to repair his ACL on Feb. 9th
in LA. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Bert Mendelbaum.
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) February 5, 2026
Based on the recovery timeline that teammate De’Anthony Melton underwent after undergoing ACL repair surgery (returning exactly one year after the date of the procedure), Butler may return in early February of 2027, in the middle of the 2026-27 season — a month before Stephen Curry’s 39th birthday and Draymond Green’s 37th birthday. At that point, Butler himself will be 37 years old.
Jimmy Butler’s ACL surgery will be Feb. 9th in LA, per the Warriors
De’Anthony Melton returned exactly one year to the date of his ACL surgery this season— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) February 5, 2026
The Warriors reassured Butler that they intend to keep him on the team instead of shopping his contract in the days leading up to the trade deadline — a promise they ended up keeping, with reports of Draymond Green being offered instead during negotiations with the Milwaukee Bucks in the Warriors’ attempt to acquire superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Ultimately, the Bucks decided to keep Antetokounmpo.
