Veterans Center Kristaps Porzingis announced in a statement on Friday that he’s stepping away from basketball and will work with the Warriors to “find a solution that makes sense” for both parties (Twitter link).
“This season I was really looking forward to running it (back) with this group, but as I ramped up, my body didn’t respond the way I anticipated,” Porzingis wrote. “I’m doing good, but I know what it takes, and I’m not where I want to be to perform at the level that I expect from myself.
“At this point, I’ve made the decision to prioritize my health and step away from the game I love.
“In this situation, I want to show the utmost respect for the Golden State Warriors and work with them to find a solution that makes sense.
“I’m thankful to my family and close ones for always being there. Much appreciation to all of you for the support.
“Onwards and upwards, Kristaps Porzingis.”
Porzingis has missed significant chunks of the past two years due to non-injury-related health issues and spoke last fall about being diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Neither he nor the Warriors have offered any specifics on the ailment currently preventing him from suiting up for the team, but it’s serious enough that he felt compelled to release today’s statement.
The Latvian big man’s statement doesn’t change his status as a trade candidate, a source tells Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link). The Warriors have reportedly been looking to move Porzingis since the season started two-plus weeks ago.
ESPN reported on Wednesday that Golden State has been withholding salary payments to Porzingis, contending that he’s not rendering the services required by his player contract. The fine for failure to render services is equivalent to 1/91.6th of the player’s salary for each game he misses. In Porzingis’ case, that works out to $218,341 per game, which is 1/91.6th of his $20MM salary for the 2026/27 season.
Porzingis reportedly hasn’t been actively disputing those missed payments, and there’s a belief that he would have “strong interest” in working out a buyout agreement that allows him to retain a portion of his $20MM salary rather than battling over game-by-game fines.
Slater suggested last week that the Warriors had expected Porzingis to be at their facilities more frequently during his recovery process, spending time with his teammates and the club’s medical staff. Slater stated at the time that the situation could “no longer be described as an excused absence” and observed that Porzingis’ designation on injury reports had been adjusted to “not with team.” The 31-year-old reportedly hasn’t been at the Warriors’ facilities since early October.
Porzingis, who signed a two-year, $40MM contract extension with Golden State over the summer, holds a $20MM player option for the 2027/28 season, but it’s only partially guaranteed for $3MM. That means he’s on a pseudo-expiring deal, which could make him movable ahead of the February 11 trade deadline. Because he extended his contract rather than signing as a free agent, Porzingis is trade-eligible now and the club doesn’t necessarily have to wait until December 15 to make a move.
Still, few teams are prepared to shake up their rosters this early in the season, so the Warriors may have to be patient. They’d ideally like to finalize a Porzingis trade by December 16, per NBA insider Jake Fischer, since that’s the deadline to acquire a player whose contract could be re-aggregated in a separate deal ahead of February’s deadline.
More to come…