The Warriors have “started exploring trade routes” involving center Kristaps Porziņģis, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday, Oct. 21. Charania also reported that Porziņģis is “seriously contemplating his future in basketball” because of lingering effects from postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.
POTS is an autoimmune condition that affects heart rate and blood circulation. Porziņģis was first diagnosed in 2025, and the current symptoms have been described as respiratory and fatigue-related.
Golden State said on Oct. 14 that Porziņģis would be out indefinitely for what it called a health-related matter. He has since stepped away from the team again, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, and he missed all of training camp and the preseason.
Porziņģis addressed his status publicly, saying he is “working with doctors and experts to figure out how to be fully back to good health asap.”
The condition has interrupted his season before. During the 2025 Eastern Conference semifinals with Boston, POTS symptoms limited him badly enough that coach Joe Mazzulla said he “couldn’t breathe,” and he sat the second half of Game 5.
Porziņģis signed a two-year, $40 million extension with Golden State this summer. He earns $20 million in 2026-27, and only $3 million of his $20 million salary for 2027-28 is guaranteed. ESPN’s Bobby Marks has said he is eligible to be traded.
The Hard Cap Limits What Golden State Can Do
The Warriors are hard-capped at the second apron, which means they cannot take back more salary in a trade than they send out. That rules out using Porziņģis’s $20 million to absorb a larger contract.
No team has been reported as pursuing him. The practical appeal for an acquiring club is the structure of the deal rather than the player’s availability, since the $3 million guarantee means he could be released next summer at a small cost.
No Timeline on Either Decision
Golden State has not said when Porziņģis might return, and Porziņģis has not set a timetable for deciding his future. The February trade deadline is the next fixed date on the calendar.
The Warriors open the season Wednesday night against the Lakers without him, Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski.
Source: Shams Charania of ESPN
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