- May 21, 2026
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Eight months after his knee gave out on a Miami hardwood, Jimmy Butler's finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. The made man remembers every detail: Podziemski's pass, Mitchell sliding under, that scream that hushed the whole joint. Face down, eyes shut, he still hears Buddy Hield chirping from the distance. His three-word reply? "No s---, Buddy."
Then he opened his eyes. "It was like Jesus was standing over me." That'd be Stephen Curry, the Batman to Butler's grudge-match soul.
Before the injury, the Warriors were 11-4 in their last 15, Butler pouring in 21/5/5 nightly. The books had 'em dangerous. Then the knee blew, championship hopes went up in smoke, and the front office wouldn't flip him for anybody — not Giannis, not Davis, not Brown. Dunleavy stayed loyal, seeing star trajectory from their Chicago days.
Now Golden State's missing $69 million in wing salary, lottery-bound on paper. But Kerr's laying groundwork for a February return, hoping Butler's the midseason acquisition nobody else can make.
Mickey's Angle: If Butler's even 85% by March, the West's sleeping on a playoff nightmare — but don't mortgage the house on a 37-year-old ACL comeback just yet.
Source: ESPN - original report rewritten by Mickey the Mouth.