The Golden State Warriors have started exploring trades for center Kristaps Porziņģis, league sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania. He remains out indefinitely with a private health issue that has him seriously contemplating his future in basketball. No deal has been reported, and the team declined to comment on the report.
On Oct. 21, hours before the season opener against the Lakers, the Warriors said they were “not going to comment on trade speculation or reports regarding his health-related matter or future.” They added that they are “not anticipating Kristaps being around the team in the immediate future.” On Oct. 14, the team had said he would stay around the team while out indefinitely.
Per ESPN, stepping away from basketball for good is possible for him if there is no breakthrough in his recovery. Multiple outlets have tied the issue to postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which limited him in Boston’s 2025 second-round series against the Knicks. The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Nick Friedell reported that the Warriors contacted the Milwaukee Bucks about a potential trade, though Milwaukee is not believed to be interested.
Porziņģis went from Boston to Atlanta in June 2025, and the Hawks traded him to Golden State at the February 2026 deadline. He played 15 games for Golden State in 2025-26, averaging 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks.
In June 2026 he signed a two-year, $40 million extension. ESPN reported that only $3 million of the $20 million in the second season is guaranteed, and that the deal was designed without a raise between the two seasons, keeping him immediately trade-eligible.
Golden State Built the Exit Before It Needed One
The Warriors signed a center with a known health history and wrote two protections into his contract: a mostly unguaranteed 2027-28 season and a structure that let them trade him right away. Exploring a trade before he has played a regular-season game shows they are using those protections now. Their plan had counted on him as the starting center.
That changes his trade value. He is no longer the piece they are building around. He is now $20 million in salary for matching in a larger deal, and any team taking him on would be taking a contract it may never get games from.
The protections make a trade allowed under the contract terms. How much his health weighs on his value to other teams decides whether a trade actually happens.
No Timeline Attached
The reporting does not give a timeline for a trade or for a decision from Porziņģis on his career. The Warriors said they would give more updates when available and appropriate.
Source: Shams Charania of ESPN
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