Kristaps Porziņģis is stepping away from basketball to prioritize his health, Anthony Slater of ESPN reported Friday afternoon, after the Golden State Warriors center announced the decision in a social media post.
“At this point, I’ve made the decision to prioritize my health and step away from the game I love,” Porziņģis wrote. He said his body did not respond as he expected when he tried to ramp up for training camp, and that he is “not where I want to be to perform at the level I expect of myself.” He added that he wants to “show the utmost respect for the Golden State Warriors and work with them to find a solution that makes sense.”
Slater reported that the announcement is not an official retirement. Porziņģis signed a two-year, $40 million deal with Golden State in late June, and is owed $20 million this season with only $3 million guaranteed for 2027-28. Citing team and league sources, Slater reported that the Warriors have not been making payments on that salary, that neither Porziņģis nor the players’ association is contesting it, and that the team has no plan to void the contract. Jack Maloney of CBS Sports noted that Golden State said in mid-October Porziņģis would be out indefinitely.
The practical effect is that a $20 million center the Warriors have not had all season is now off the floor for the foreseeable future, while his salary stays on the books as a trade number. Slater reported that Golden State can still use that figure in a deal before February’s deadline and is surveying the market, and that Porziņģis is amenable to a trade and may be open to a buyout afterward. That market is what we looked at earlier Friday in what a Porziņģis trade with Milwaukee would actually send back to the Warriors.
Several things are not yet settled. Neither the Warriors nor the league has issued an on-the-record statement on the announcement. No trade or buyout has been agreed. And Porziņģis has not said whether he intends to return, or when.
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