The Golden State Warriors are staring down the most critical stretch of their season—and it’s happening at the worst possible time. As they limp toward the end of their three-game East Coast road trip, the team is now juggling injuries to Jimmy Butler III, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green, a trio responsible for nearly everything the Warriors lean on for stability. And now, with Butler undergoing an MRI on his sore left knee, the situation has turned from concerning to outright volatile.
According to reporting from The Athletic’s Nick Friedell, Butler’s knee hasn’t responded well since he absorbed a hard foul in last Saturday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He managed to finish that game, and even started Tuesday’s loss to Oklahoma City — but something was clearly wrong. At halftime, Butler shut it down. By Thursday, he was out entirely, ruled unavailable against the 76ers, and dispatched for MRI imaging.
The results have not yet been publicly revealed, but the Warriors already made one thing clear: Butler won’t play Saturday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. That alone is a seismic blow for a team stuck below .500 at 11–12 and desperately trying to avoid sliding deeper into the Western Conference chaos.
And make no mistake — Butler isn’t just another rotation piece. At 36, he’s been the engine powering Golden State through 20 games, averaging 19.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, five assists, 1.6 steals, and shooting the lights out at 43.9% from deep. Losing that level of production, leadership, and defensive intensity is devastating. His last outing — a brief 15-minute stint against OKC — now looks like the final warning sign before this knee issue forced the team’s hand.
But Butler’s MRI isn’t the Warriors’ only nightmare. Their injury list is beginning to read like a medical report after a car crash. Stephen Curry hasn’t played since Nov. 26 because of a left quad injury and muscle strain. One week later, the franchise has still offered no return timetable. That silence has been louder than any press conference quote.
Then came the next punch: Draymond Green left Thursday’s loss to the 76ers in a walking boot. A boot. The 35-year-old has now aggravated a lingering foot issue, and while he reportedly underwent an MRI as well, his availability for the final two games of the road trip is described as “uncertain at best.” Before exiting, Green scored just three points in nine minutes, clearly limited before the injury worsened.
Head coach Steve Kerr — a man who usually downplays everything — couldn’t hide the concern this time. “We’ll obviously be very careful with him,” Kerr said, acknowledging the possibility of another absence.
So here are the facts:
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Jimmy Butler is out.
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Stephen Curry is still sidelined.
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Draymond Green is a question mark.
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Golden State faces two above-.500 teams this weekend.
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The Warriors have lost ground in the standings and are now fighting to stay afloat.
Golden State traveled East looking for rhythm. Instead, they found a crisis. As the injuries pile up and the season threatens to unravel before Christmas, one question now eclipses everything else:
Will the Warriors survive this stretch — or will this be the moment their playoff hopes begin to collapse?
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