Jimmy Butler Suffers Season-Ending Torn ACL In Right Knee
January 20: Butler’s MRI revealed a torn ACL in his right knee, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). He will miss the rest of the season.
Sam Amick of The Athletic confirms the news (via Twitter).
The Warriors won’t be eligible for a disabled player exception in the wake of Butler’s season-ending injury, since the deadline to apply for a DPE passed on January 15.
January 19: Warriors forward Jimmy Butler suffered a right knee injury in the third quarter of Monday’s game against Miami and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest, per Angela Martin of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Butler landed awkwardly on his right knee after being bumped in the air while catching a pass from Brandin Podziemski (Twitter video link via NBC Sports Bay Area). Butler was fouled on the play by Davion Mitchell, who attempted to disrupt the pass.
Butler immediately yelled out in pain and was down on the court for a few minutes before being helped off with the assistance of Moses Moody and Gary Payton II, tweets Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. The 36-year-old was unable to put weight on his right leg.
As ESPN’s Anthony Slater observes (via Twitter), Butler has a history of right knee injuries. He tore his right meniscus in 2018 and sprained his MCL in 2024.
While the Warriors went on win Monday’s game to improve to 25-19 following a 6-1 homestand, Butler’s injury is obviously a major concern. The five-time All-NBA member is currently undergoing an MRI, according to Slater (Twitter link).
“Praying for the best, as far as scans,” said Stephen Curry.
Butler, who has also made five All-Defensive teams in his 15-year career, entered Monday averaging 20.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.4 steals on .519/.381/.862 shooting in 37 games (31.4 minutes per contest).
Butler is under contract through 2026/27. He’s making $54.1MM this season and will earn $56.8MM next season.
Knicks Have Talked To Multiple Teams About Trading Towns
The Knicks‘ 2025/26 season reached a new low point with Monday’s 17-point home loss to the injury-ravaged Mavericks, writes Steve Popper of Newsday (subscriber link). New York trailed by as many as 30 points in the first half and was down 28 at halftime, when fans at Madison Square Garden “serenaded” the team with boos.
The Knicks have now dropped nine of their past 11 games and are in danger of falling into play-in territory after holding a 23-9 record three weeks ago. In the 10 games leading into Monday, they had the second-worst defensive rating in the NBA, Popper notes.
The team’s effort was particularly dispiriting considering the Knicks had their full complement of players available — Jalen Brunson (right ankle sprain) and Josh Hart (right ankle soreness) both returned to action following injury absences.
“Guys are gonna be banged up, guys aren’t gonna be 100 percent, it’s the dog days of the season,” Hart said, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required). “But the effort, I think last year no matter what we did, the effort was there. I haven’t seen this kind of effort that we had today, it was embarrassing.”
Hart admitted prior to the game that his ankle isn’t fully healthy, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
“I want to be out there to try to help the team as much as I can so (the team’s recent struggles) did (influence his decision) a little bit; a combination of that, there’s the competitiveness and the impatience that I display,” Hart said.
Two weeks ago, owner James Dolan said he expected the team to — at minimum — reach the NBA Finals. He also expressed confidence in the team’s roster and chemistry. The Knicks were promptly blown out by the top-seeded Pistons and have a 2-6 record since that public interview.
Both Popper and Bondy point out that Dolan left his courtside seat at halftime and did not return for the second half. The last time Bondy recalls that happening was during a lopsided loss in 2019, when former executives Scott Perry and Steve Mills were forced to speak to reporters after the game. Then-coach David Fizdale was fired a few days later; Mills was dismissed not long after that.
Bondy isn’t advocating for the team to fire head coach Mike Brown, which he thinks would be “reactionary and ill-advised.” But Bondy does believe a major roster shake-up is in order, and says everyone aside from Brunson and Hart should be available. That includes Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, two players the Knicks acquired in previous blockbuster trades.
Big man Towns, who has struggled to find his form under Brown, was singled out with boos twice in the fourth quarter, per Popper — once when checking out with just under five minutes remaining, and again 29 seconds later when he checked back in for Mitchell Robinson, who picked up two quick fouls.
Towns said he understood the fans’ reaction, considering the Knicks “didn’t really have a chance” to win, as Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press relays.
“Fans are doing their part and we’ve got to do our part,” Towns said.
According to Popper, “whispers” have begun to circulate around the league about the possibility of the Knicks trading Towns, whose name popped up in rumors over the summer involving the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo. League sources tell Popper the Knicks have discussed potential Towns deals with multiple teams, including the Grizzlies, Magic and Hornets.
For what it’s worth, Bondy proposes a fake trade that would send Towns and unspecified salary filler to the Trail Blazers for Jrue Holiday and Jerami Grant.
Southwest Notes: Adams, Durant, Dirk, Mavs, Morant
Rockets center Steven Adams suffered a left ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win over New Orleans and had to be helped off the court with assistance, notes Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
Head coach Ime Udoka told sideline reporter Vanessa Richardson after the game that Adams’ ankle already had a significant amount of swelling but X-rays were negative.
Adams looked to be in a great deal of pain when the injury occurred (YouTube link). He rolled his left ankle contesting a layup from Zion Williamson.
The 32-year-old big man has made 32 appearances this season, averaging 5.8 points and 8.6 rebounds — including a league-high 4.5 offensive rebounds — in 22.8 minutes per game.
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Rockets star Kevin Durant became the sixth-leading scorer in NBA history during Sunday’s game, passing Dirk Nowitzki (31,560), tweets Iko. It was an uncharacteristically off shooting night for the 37-year-old forward, who scored 18 points but was just 5-of-18 from the field, though he also contributed eight assists and six rebounds.
- Mavericks legend Nowitzki said in an interview with Sports Illustrated Germany that he’s not interested in becoming the team’s general manager, as Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal relays. The Mavericks currently have Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi operating as co-interim GMs after firing Nico Harrison. They’re expected to hire a permanent replacement for Harrison as head of basketball operations, though that’s reportedly “several months” away from happening.
- New Orleans Times-Picayune columnist Rod Walker weighs the pros and cons of the Pelicans pursuing a Ja Morant trade. While he admits he’s “not completely sold on the idea,” Walker says the Pelicans should consider a deal with division rival Memphis if they can acquire the two-time All-Star point guard at a heavy discount. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype recently reported that the Pels have a level of interest in Morant, Walker notes.
Hornets Notes: D. Curry, LaMelo, Bridges, Road Trip
The Hornets will retire Dell Curry‘s No. 30 jersey on March 19, the team announced in a press release. The former NBA shooting guard spent 10 years with the Hornets as a player (from the late 1980s to the late ’90s) and is in his 17th season as the team’s television analyst. He joins Bobby Phils (No. 13) as just the second player in franchise history to have his jersey retired.
“As owners, we are committed to celebrating our Hornets legacy and recognizing those who helped build the foundation of this franchise,” said Hornets co-chairmen Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin. “Dell Curry has been a cornerstone of the Charlotte Hornets for more than 25 years – both on and off the court. He exemplifies what it means to be a Hornet through his professionalism, work ethic and commitment to excellence.
“Dell’s impact on our organization, our fans and our community is undeniable, and he is truly deserving of this honor. We look forward to celebrating this special moment with Hornets fans and raising No. 30 to the rafters of Spectrum Center forever.”
The team staged an elaborate interview with Curry to reveal the jersey retirement (YouTube link). The entire video is enjoyable, but Curry’s reaction is around 10 minutes in.
Here’s more on the Hornets:
- Head coach Charles Lee referred to point guard LaMelo Ball as the Hornets’ “emotional leader” following last Thursday’s victory over the Lakers, per Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The Los Angeles Times. “We’ve always marveled at his shot-making, but the thing that I think continues to just impress me, the thing that continues to help our team get better and better is that he’s trusting the pass,” said Lee. “I think that he’s really maximizing everyone around him. He’s making them better. … And then he just does what Melo does: He’s a shot-maker.”
- Forward Miles Bridges recently moved into third place on the team’s all-time scoring list, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Bridges passed Larry Johnson and Gerald Wallace, and now only trails Curry and Kemba Walker, Charlotte’s all-time leading scorer. “That means a lot at the same time because those guys put in hard work, and they actually made the playoffs here,” Bridges said. “So, that just shows my loyalty to this team and their loyalty to me. That’s big for me. I just want to continue to keep climbing up the ranks, but at the same time, I want to help us win.”
- While Charlotte remains inconsistent, Lee believes the team’s recent road trip, which concluded with a win in Denver on Sunday, showed the Hornets are capable of beating anyone on a given night, Boone adds in the same story. “I think that they all have a level of humble confidence and understanding that we are a good team and when we play the way that we need to play on both ends of the floor, we can beat any team in the NBA,” Lee said. “But we also have to have that humility that when we don’t play as hard as we need to, or we don’t play as together as we need to, or we don’t lock in on the things that are important for winning games, then we can be beat. I think that this group just has a great sense of what that looks like.”
Suns’ Jalen Green Expected To Return Tuesday
While he was eventually ruled out of Monday’s game at Brooklyn after initially being listed as questionable, Suns guard Jalen Green is expected to make his long-awaited return on Tuesday in Philadelphia, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscriber link).
Head coach Jordan Ott confirmed Green will play tomorrow, barring a last-minute setback.
“Just giving him the extra day,” head coach Jordan Ott said. “Played (5-on-5) Saturday. Because we do have a back-to-back, we knew he probably wouldn’t be playing in the back-to-back. Just seeing how he woke up this morning. Do we give him the extra day or not? That was the decision we made.”
Green last played on November 8 and has only made two appearances this season due to a right hamstring strain.
The former No. 2 overall pick initially strained the hamstring during training camp, then aggravated it during his ramp-up process in mid-October. Green sat out the first eight games of the regular season, erupted for 29 points in 23 minutes in his debut in early November, then aggravated the injury again a couple days later about seven minutes into his second game.
According to Rankin (Twitter link), Ott said Green didn’t aggravate his hamstring a third time during his long layoff — the team was just being cautious with the 23-year-old, who had played all 82 regular season games each of the past two seasons.
“When you do something again, obviously, there’s a level of caution,” Ott said. “Young guy. Long career ahead and soft tissue. We’re trying to meet every metric possible on his rehab. He did it, but no setbacks.”
Ott also said Green will reenter the starting lineup when he returns to action, Rankin adds (via Twitter).
And-Ones: Maxey, Milton, Joseph, Motiejunas
Tyrese Maxey, who is having a fantastic season for the Sixers, was just named an All-Star starter for the first time (it’s his second overall appearance). Speaking to reporters on Monday, the 25-year-old guard said he’d be thrilled to represent Team USA in the future if he’s given the chance.
“I would love to play for Team USA…If that’s something that I have the opportunity to do, then I’ll definitely be there for it,” Maxey said (Twitter video link via PHLY Sixers).
Maxey is posting career-best numbers in several statistics in 2025/26, including points (30.3), assists (6.7), rebounds (4.4), steals (1.9) and blocks (1.0) per game. He also leads the NBA in playing time, with 39.3 minutes per contest.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA guard Shake Milton has a broken bone in his left hand and has traveled to the United States to undergo surgery, according to Pedrac Saric of Serbian outlet Meridian Sport (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Milton, who plays for Partizan Belgrade, is expected to miss around three months. The 29-year-old is having a disappointing year for the Serbian club in his first stint in Europe, Carchia notes.
- Veteran point guard Cory Joseph signed with AS Monaco at the beginning of December after 14 years in the NBA. However, as Alex Molina of Eurohoops writes, Joseph has yet to play for Monaco, which was assessed a transfer ban because of outstanding financial issues. Aris Thessaloniki is interested in acquiring the 34-year-old, but the Greek team has not yet made an offer Joseph finds appealing, per Molina.
- While EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas isn’t happy about the NBA’s proposed European league, he also insists he’s not worried about it. “We’ve only heard the plan or the fireworks of how amazing it will be, how much potential there is,” Motiejunas told Ken Maguire of The Associated Press. “But having a theory is one — and making it work is two. We’ve been here for 26 years. We know how Europe functions.” Motiejunas also expressed confidence that Real Madrid, Fenerbahce and ASVEL — the three shareholder teams that have yet to renew their licenses — will remain with the EuroLeague. “The NBA has been announcing and announcing things for a year but still it’s nothing that you can grasp on,” Motiejunas said. “As businessmen, these are team owners, they also begin to see it’s a little bit of a broken record of ‘we will announce later,’ … The ’27 start is already around the corner.”
Pacific Notes: LeBron, Ayton, Melton, Green, Kings
For the first time in 22 seasons, Lakers superstar LeBron James was not named an All-Star starter, observes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
The news isn’t surprising, given James missed the first 14 games of 2025/26 due to sciatica and understandably had to work his way into shape and form when he did return, having missed training camp and the preseason with the injury. But it’s still noteworthy, given that the 41-year-old has made the All-Star game a record 21 times — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is second with 19 appearances.
As Bontemps writes, the league’s coaches will have to select James as a reserve in order for him to extend the record streak, which dates back to 2005. To this point in his career, the only season when James didn’t make the All-Star game (or an All-NBA team, for that matter) was in 2003/04, when he won Rookie of the Year.
While James has played much better lately and has put up impressive statistics (22.6 points, 6.9 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals on .509/.328/.757 shooting), especially considering he’s the NBA’s oldest player, it seems fairly unlikely that the 6’9″ forward will be selected. He has missed 17 of Los Angeles’ 41 games, and there are lots of other worthy candidates in a stacked Western Conference.
Here’s more from the Pacific:
- Lakers center Deandre Ayton missed Saturday’s loss to Portland due to left knee soreness but he returned to action on Sunday and had a huge night in the victory over Toronto, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The former No. 1 overall pick recorded 25 points (on 10-of-10 shooting) 13 rebounds and no turnovers, becoming the first player in team history (since individual turnovers became an official statistic in 1977/78) to score 25-plus points on 100% shooting with zero turnovers, per ESPN Research. Ayton also became the third Laker to make 10-plus field goal attempts without missing a shot while grabbing at least 10 rebounds, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Mitch Kupchak, McMenamin adds.
- Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton will miss Monday’s game against Miami, which is the front end of a back-to-back, tweets ESPN’s Anthony Slater. While it’s a small sample size (373 minutes), Golden State has outscored its opponents by a staggering +19.6 points per 100 possessions when Melton is playing, compared to a -0.7 net rating in the 1701 minutes the 27-year-old has been off the court. Melton missed most of last season as well as the start of ’25/26 due to a torn ACL in his left knee. Forward/center Draymond Green will also miss Monday’s game after being downgraded to questionable and then out because of a right ankle sprain, notes Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link).
- Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee lists some surprising statistics from the Kings‘ four-game winning streak, which was snapped with Sunday’s loss to Portland.
Tyler Herro Likely Out At Least Five Games With Rib Injury
Heat guard Tyler Herro recently underwent an MRI which revealed a costochondral injury on the right side of his ribs, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Herro, who didn’t travel to Golden State ahead of Monday’s contest, is expected to miss Miami’s entire five-game road trip, Chiang writes. After making 77 appearances en route to his first All-Star game in 2024/25, Herro has been limited to just 11 games thus far in ’25/26 due to offseason ankle surgery, a toe contusion, and now the rib issue.
Costochondral refers to the joints where ribs connect to cartilage, according to Chiang, who writes that it can be a very painful injury which is typically a matter of pain tolerance. Herro, who turns 26 years old tomorrow, has averaged 21.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steal on .497/.358/.902 shooting this season (31.7 minutes per game).
Herro also missed Saturday’s win over Oklahoma City, so Monday will mark his second straight absence. There’s no official timeline for the seventh-year guard’s return, per Chiang.
On a more positive note for the Heat, starting point guard Davion Mitchell and sixth man Jaime Jaquez Jr. are both expected to return on Monday. Both players have been sidelined for the past two games with shoulder and knee injuries, respectively, but they’re probable to suit up against the Warriors.
Miami is currently 22-20, the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Bam Adebayo Named Players Of Week
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Heat big man Bam Adebayo have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, the NBA announced today (Twitter links).
Oklahoma City had a 2-1 record during the week of January 12-18, with the reigning Most Valuable Player averaging 31.0 points, 4.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. Gilgeous-Alexander posted a shooting line of .547/.400/.912 as the Thunder outscored opponents by 43 points during his 103 minutes on the court.
Gilgeous-Alexander becomes the first NBA player to be named the Player of the Week for the third time this season — he also earned the honor twice in November.
As for Adebayo, he posted averages of 27.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per night while shooting 65.5% from long range as the Heat won two of three games. This is the third time he has earned the award and first time since January 2024.
Donovan Clingan and Shaedon Sharpe (Trail Blazers), DeMar DeRozan (Kings), Luka Dončić (Lakers), James Harden (Clippers), Jamal Murray (Nuggets), Alperen Sengun (Rockets) and Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) were also nominated for the Western Conference Player of the Week award, per the NBA.
Brandon Miller (Hornets), Norman Powell (Heat), Pascal Siakam (Pacers), Anfernee Simons (Celtics), Jaylon Tyson (Cavaliers) and Nikola Vučević (Bulls) were the other Eastern Conference nominees.
Antetokounmpo, Curry Head List Of All-Star Starters
The NBA’s 2026 All-Star starters have been set, the league announced today (Twitter links). Here are the 10 players who earned those spots:
Eastern Conference
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
- Jaylen Brown (Celtics)
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
- Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
- Tyrese Maxey (Sixers)
Western Conference
- Stephen Curry (Warriors)
- Luka Doncic (Lakers)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
- Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
This season’s All-Star Game will have a U.S. vs. World format. The round-robin event is scheduled to be played Sunday, Feb. 15 at 5 p.m. ET at the Clippers’ Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. Two teams of U.S. players and one team of international players (the World team) will compete in a tournament featuring four 12-minute games. The three teams will each have a minimum of eight players.
How the teams will be divvied up is yet to be determined.
Two-time MVP Antetokounmpo has been selected as a starter for the 10th consecutive season. 2024 Finals MVP Brown will be making his fifth All-Star appearance, while Brunson will be making his third consecutive appearance.
This marks Cunningham’s second NBA All-Star selection and first as a starter. Cunningham is the first Pistons player to be named an Eastern Conference starter in the All-Star Game since Allen Iverson in 2009. It will also be Maxey’s second All-Star appearance and first as a starter.
This will be Curry’s 12th All-Star Game and 11th as a starter. Doncic will be making his sixth All-Star appearance.
This marks the fourth career All-Star appearance for reigning NBA MVP and Finals MVP Gilgeous-Alexander and his third consecutive season as an All-Star starter. Three-time MVP Jokic has been named an All-Star for the eighth consecutive year. Wembanyama is the first Spurs player to be named an All-Star starter since Kawhi Leonard in 2017.
Fans accounted for 50% of the vote to determine the starters, while players and media accounted for 25% each. Wembanyama won a tiebreaker with the Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards for a starting spot. The full voting results can be found through this NBA.com link.