The Golden State Warriors did all they could over the offseason to keep the team in the running for the title, and a few weeks into their 2025-26 campaign, things have started well.
However, Golden State has been hit with the injury bug just a week before the official start of the NBA season. After it was revealed that Moses Moody will be out for a few weeks, Jimmy Butler was the latest Warriors player to be announced as injured.
According to NBA insider Anthony Slater, Butler suffered an ankle sprain and is set to miss Golden State’s next preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
“Jimmy Butler is out tomorrow night in Portland now,” Slater wrote on X. “He had an ankle sprain in practice on Friday. Steve Kerr said team thought it was minor, but it remains a little swollen. Hope is he returns for Friday’s preseason finale.”
Butler played in the Warriors’ first two preseason matchups against the Los Angeles Lakers and Trail Blazers. He now joins Moody and Draymond Green as notable players who will miss at least the team’s next game.
First Full Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry Season
The recent injury to Butler isn’t a great sign for Golden State, especially its timing, coming just before the NBA season tips off. However, if the ankle heals quickly, Butler will have an immediate impact in his first full year alongside Stephen Curry in the Bay Area.
The Warriors finished 23-8 with Butler in the lineup to close out last season, and though they fell in the second round of the playoffs, the duo played at a top-tier level. Writing for ESPN, Zach Kram highlighted the Butler-Curry partnership in a recent article on Golden State’s title hopes.
“In half a season with Butler, the Warriors were one of the best teams in the league, and they improved in the offseason. By that logic, they should be a contender again this season,” Kram wrote. “But from Butler’s debut through the end of the regular season, it ranked first in defensive rating and third in net, at plus-9.2 per 100 possessions. The team’s 23-8 record in that span — which extrapolates to 61 wins over a full season — wasn’t a fluke.”
Golden State is predicted to win 56 games according to Kevin Pelton of ESPN and his projections, if everyone stays healthy, which so far hasn’t been the case.
While Al Horford has been a solid addition so far, and Jonathan Kuminga has been impactful in the preseason after signing an extension, it will come down to Curry and Butler, as well as Green, to decide the Warriors’ fate.
Kerr Undecided On Warriors Starters
If everyone is healthy, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr is likely to trot out Curry, Butler, Green, and Horford in the starting lineup. With one more spot to fill, Kerr has yet to make a decision.
Speaking after the game in his postgame press conference, the coach said he is still undecided about who will start at shooting guard for the Warriors this season.
Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield will likely battle for that final spot, with Kuminga, a healthy Moody, Seth Curry, and Gary Payton potentially getting the job at multiple points throughout the season.
“I can’t say that yet,” Kerr said when asked about who will round out the starting lineup. “We’ve got to see where we are. Brandin’s going to play a ton. He’s a hugely important player for us. But the starting lineup frankly is a little tricky for us, given the pieces and Al’s age.”
Golden State could be the oldest team in the NBA next season, depending on who gets signed to a full-time contract. They will face an uphill battle in the Western Conference, but when healthy, they have a strong chance to compete against teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Warriors Hit With More Injury News Amid Roster Uncertainty appeared first on Heavy Sports.