Kristaps Porziņģis Steps Away, Leaving Warriors a Choice Between Four Ways Forward

Porziņģis pauses his career

On Friday, Porziņģis said his health was in a good place, but he was not ready to play basketball at the level he expects of himself. He announced that he would step away from the game to focus on his health, without declaring retirement.

“I’m doing good, but I know what it takes,” Porziņģis said in a statement on X. He added that his body had not responded as he had expected while ramping up for the season.

A long-running health issue

Injuries have affected Porziņģis throughout his NBA career. After helping Boston win the 2024 NBA Finals, he missed time the following season with an illness that was initially unidentified.

After being traded to Atlanta, he said he had postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS. The condition can cause a patient’s heart rate to rise substantially while standing compared with resting horizontally.

His path to Golden State

Atlanta traded Porziņģis to the Warriors at last season’s trade deadline as Golden State parted ways with forward Jonathan Kuminga. Porziņģis played 15 games after joining the team, then signed a two-year, $40 million extension over the offseason.

He was absent from training camp and ruled out indefinitely before the season because of his ongoing health problems. ESPN’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported this week that Golden State was not making salary payments while he was not providing services.

Contract choices for the Warriors

Porziņģis’s contract pays $20 million annually, but just $3 million is guaranteed next year. That structure could make his salary useful in a trade, even if he is not playing.

Golden State could seek a usable player in exchange for offering another team salary relief. A straight salary dump would likely require the Warriors to include draft capital, which the report says they do not have in abundance.

Slater reported Friday that the Warriors had no plans to void the contract and were evaluating the trade market. Players who signed new contracts over the offseason become eligible to be traded on Dec. 15, when that market can begin to pick up.