Jimmy Butler injury forces Warriors into uncomfortable decisions

The Warriors know one thing for sure: Jimmy Butler is done for the season. Everything else is up in the air.

That includes what comes next.

Golden State is staring down the February 5 trade deadline without a clear roadmap, and the clock is no longer theoretical. It is real. And it is loud.

“Every level of the organization was reeling in the aftermath of Butler’s ACL tear,” ESPN’s Anthony Slater wrote. “Only beginning to come to grips with the seismic short and long term ramifications. The timing of it provides an opportunity. The front office has two weeks to assess the best path forward before the trade deadline.”

Opportunity, yes. Clarity, no.

Slater laid out the questions facing the franchise. Should the Warriors push chips in or pull back. Which picks are actually movable. And perhaps most importantly, does this injury change how the team views Jonathan Kuminga, whose future was already unsettled.

“Considering Butler’s outsized importance,” Slater wrote, “it’s hard to envision any that lead them back to even fringe contention.”

That reality showed up fast. Golden State was blown out at home by Toronto in its first game after the Butler news, the kind of performance that invites hard conversations.

The Warriors do not have much time to find answers. They have two weeks. And decisions are coming whether they are ready or not.