Steve Kerr Announces Concerning Jimmy Butler Injury News After Lakers Game

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr makes Jimmy Butler injury announcement after Los Angeles Lakers preseason game

Mar 13, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr (right) confers with players Jimmy Butler III (10) and Gary Payton II (0) during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The Golden State Warriors are 2-1 in their five-game preseason schedule so far, with a rematch against the Portland Trail Blazers next after making an unexpected comeback victory. Even though they lost their first game in a rematch against the Los Angeles Lakers, there were some positives to take away from it, such as Brandin Podziemski's performance.

Earlier on Monday, it was announced by Steve Kerr that Draymond Green won't be available for Golden State on Tuesday against the Trail Blazers. Outside of that, the other key veterans appeared good to go, until a concerning update from ESPN's Anthony Slater revealed an update on Jimmy Butler.

Jimmy Butler is out tomorrow night in Portland now. 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.

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 13, 2025

According to Slater, via Kerr, Butler will be out for Tuesday's contest against the Trail Blazers, as his ankle sprain has gone from minor to "a little swollen." While Slater says the "hope is he returns for Friday's preseason finale," that's far from a guarantee.

Butler already tweaked his ankle once, rolling it during the beginning of training camp, but ended up suiting up for the team's preseason opener against the Lakers. Now, with Butler spraining his ankle on Friday, it's not a good sign for the 36-year-old veteran with the regular season still over a week away.

Jimmy Butler's Injury Past And Causes For Concern

Jimmy Butler: "You got a really good chance when 30 aka Batman is on the floor. Life is good" pic.twitter.com/MRemKZRvWR

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) October 8, 2025

Even if a player has a relatively clean bill of health in their career, like LeBron James, dealing with any sort of injury problems late in their career will cause concern. As for Butler, he hasn't exactly been the most available player, but he also isn't constantly battling injuries.

During his five full seasons with the Miami Heat, Butler played in 60 or more games twice, for an average of 58.2 games per season. Over the recent years, Butler has battled several knee and ankle injuries, meaning that Butler's history with ankle injuries doesn't make this recent news encouraging.

Jimmy Butler limped to the free throw line after rolling his ankle.

He made both. pic.twitter.com/Obfa4NBqEC

— ESPN (@espn) April 30, 2023

Much like the Los Angeles Clippers, the Warriors are a team that has been criticized for how much they are expected to lean on veterans on their roster, especially those 35 years old or older. Butler, at 36, is in that category, and the Warriors will be faced with a tough decision on how to handle his availability toward the end of the preseason and to ensure his long-term availability.

In the case that Butler were to miss time, Jonathan Kuminga would be expected to step into his role, where he could look to prove his value to Golden State or potential trade suitors come the deadline.