The Warriors’ season crashed into disaster when forward Jimmy Butler suffered a season-ending ACL tear Monday night, and the national media are declaring the Warriors’ dynasty is over, while fans are madly concocting trade scenarios. At first glance, Monday night’s 135-112 Golden State Warrior s victory over the Miami Heat would sound like a nice mid-season win. But in reality, it was surely the Warriors’ most painful and heartbreaking loss of the season. CBS Sports reports that Warriors forward Jimmy Butler tore his ACL and is out for the rest of the season, robbing the Warriors of a key player whose acquisition in a trade last year rejuvenated the franchise, and gave fans hope that the Dubs could once again be title contenders this year. Jimmy Butler III : 17 points on 6-11 shooting, 5-5 from the FT line, 4 assists 2 steals in 21 minutes (Injured his right knee with 7:41 remaining in the 3rd quarter didn't return) pic.twitter.com/oPUDuhlw9c— Lee Harvey (@Sayian_Warrior) January 20, 2026 The whole ugly situation can be seen above, and clearly Butler and his teammates knew right away he had just suffered a season-ending injury. Butler had been having a terrific season, averaging 20 points a game as Steph Curry’s best Number Two scoring option, and the Warriors had just won an impressive 12 of their last 16 games.Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III to miss remainder of 2025-26 season: pic.twitter.com/1t8xA9N9cT— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) January 20, 2026 The Warriors acknowledged Tuesday afternoon that Butler is done for the year, and frankly, his entire career might be cooked. Butler is 36 years old, and this injury will likely cause him to miss at least half of next season too. Jimmy Butler may be finished as a significant NBA player."We're done seeing Steph Curry contend for championships in a serious way in Golden State."—@ChrisCanty99 on Jimmy Butler's torn ACL 😯 pic.twitter.com/QLFgVpfJHu— First Take (@FirstTake) January 20, 2026 Moreover, the crew on ESPN’s First Take Tuesday morning was quick to declare that the Warriors' dynasty is now over. The New York Times agrees, noting that “the loss of a proud star in his late 30s who is in the first year of a two-year, $112 million extension that he was given upon arrival when the Warriors traded for him last February — just might be their death knell."But what matters is that the Warriors do not agree that the season is over. They have been committed to squeezing everything they can out of Steph Curry’s final years, to keep that dynasty window open. The team already seemed fully committed to trading Jonathan Kuminga (who has not played in more than a month, despite that he’s completely healthy), and Kuminga's offseason contract extension seemed to be designed specifically to trade him. Oh, and Kuminga and Steve Kerr appear to hate one another at the moment.Trade idea: pic.twitter.com/8NqqPDKvvN— TheWarriorsTalk (@TheWarriorsTalk) January 20, 2026 So fans are concocting crazy trade scenarios, and you know what? So are the Warriors. It is entirely possible they ship both Kuminga and Jimmy Butler out in the same deal, because it’s the NBA, and you can easily trade a guy who’ll be injured for the next 12 months as long as you take a shitty contract off the other team's hands. This CBS Sports trade scenario explainer identifies possible trade targets like the Dallas Mavericks’ Anthony Davis, the 76ers’ Paul George or Joel Embiid, and even the Lakers’ LeBron James. Each of these options would involve mortgaging the future and giving up top upcoming draft picks.CBS Sports even entertained the Warriors could blow it all up now, and trade Steph Curry by the February 5 trade deadline. That seems wildly unlikely. But also in wildly unlikely scenarios, CBS Sports raised the possibility that the Warriors could in this situation trade for… our old friend Klay Thompson.We need to trade podzemski for klay. I need to see klay back in a warriors jersey. REUNITE THE SPLASH BROTHERS pic.twitter.com/MZkqgueRy4— ꒰🕊꒱﹒ 𝒮𝒽𝒶𝒹♡𝓌 ﹒⟢ (@ShadowWadotwt) January 20, 2026 The rest of the Warriors' season may suck. But these next two-and-a-half weeks before the NBA trade deadline may be some very, very interesting times for Warriors fans. Related: Steph Curry Talks Retirement Plans: Maybe PGA Tour, Maybe TV Analyst, Maybe NBA Team Ownership [SFist]Image: SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 19: Jimmy Butler III #10 of the Golden State Warriors is looked at by teammates and trainers after he collided with Davion Mitchell #45 of the Miami Heat and injured his knee during the third quarter at Chase Center on January 19, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) ...read more read less