Golden State Warriors forward Kristaps Porziņģis has battled many health issues throughout his career, mostly injuries, but his latest setback may point to an early retirement for the Unicorn.
The Golden State Warriors acquired Porziņģis from the Atlanta Hawks just before the 2026 NBA trade deadline. The center/forward played just 15 games after joining the team in February, and his lack of availability was attributed to a “mysterious illness” at the time.
During an airing of ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show, senior NBA insider Shams Charania offered insight into Porziņģis’s latest status with the Warriors and his future in the NBA.
“Sources tell me that the Warriors are already starting to explore trade routes for Kristaps Porziņģis, who is out indefinitely as he is dealing with recurring bouts of an autoimmune issue termed POTS,” Charania said.
“I am told he’s at the point now where he is seriously contemplating his basketball future and where that could go. The reality is, if there is not a breakthrough with his health, with his recovery, the Warriors are certainly bracing for the possibility that he steps away from basketball for good.
“At the tail end of the 2024-25 season, he started to deal with an illness that he disclosed a year ago was POTS. So this is a delicate, obviously, health issue that he’s dealing with. Now the Warriors are being as supportive as they possibly can be, but he’s got a $20 million expiring contract that they can use now to possibly upgrade their team.”
Last week, the Warriors released a statement that Porziņģis would be out indefinitely but would remain around team activities. However, after reports that the Warriors were exploring options for the 31-year-old, they issued an update Wednesday.
“Not expecting Kristaps (to be) around the team in the immediate future,” the Warriors said in a statement, via the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Warriors also added that they “are not going to comment on trade speculation or reports regarding his health-related matter or future.”
It’s unclear what value the Warriors will receive if they decide to trade Porziņģis, or whether the 10-season veteran has given real thought to hanging up his jersey.
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