Kristaps Porzingis was ruled out 90 minutes before tipoff on Tuesday evening, despite being ruled as available just five hours earlier.
There are two possible scenarios at play, and both would mean a serious change could be on the horizon.
The first option is straightforward: the injury report is accurate. Porzingis, who has missed 12 consecutive games due to Achilles tendinitis, recovered from this injury in time for Monday’s game. His new injury is an illness, which would most likely be a result of lingering effects from his POTS diagnosis.
In this case, Atlanta would face a challenge. Porzingis has played in exactly one-third of Atlanta’s games thus far, and if Christian Koloko taught us anything, it’s that the Hawks just need a center. If Porzingis is still suffering from POTS-related issues despite not playing in 27 games, the Hawks have a problem on their hand. Consequently, they’d need to find help elsewhere, whether in the buyout market or in a trade.
This, however, is not the leading theory among fans. Instead, many are (perhaps wishfully) thinking his late addition to the injury report is due to a potential trade.
https://t.co/3DOvIYBW3f pic.twitter.com/PjyrItTHzd
— Zach Langley (@langleyatl) February 3, 2026
Could Porzingis be on the way out?
While it is technically illegal to lie on an NBA injury report, in Adam Silver’s NBA, teams get away with much worse.
It is common practice for a player who is about to be traded to make a dubious appearance on the injury report. CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert miraculously went down with minor injuries hours before being traded to Atlanta, despite McCollum not missing a game all season.
In Atlanta’s case, Porzingis illness would give the perfect cover to bench him while finalizing a trade. After all, POTS is a chronic condition – Porzingis technically suffers from it every day. POTS is also notoriously hard for physicians to identify, making it impossible to “prove” that Porzingis is healthy enough to play.
Porzingis’s trade availability has been no secret, but it’s not because of his on-court play. In my eyes, he is clearly Atlanta’s best player. When he plays less than 20% of your team’s total minutes, however, he just isn't very impactful.
Atlanta has reportedly been looking for ways to convert his $30 million contract into a player who fits with Onsi Saleh’s long-term vision for the squad. They first considered an Anthony Davis trade, but quickly shifted gears after realizing the contract nightmare that would follow.
Atlanta is an organization notorious for its lack of leaks, so we truly have no idea what is happening. Legally, Porzingis is suffering from an illness. If this is indeed the case, I wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on the court soon.
If this is a ruse, however, similar to McCollum and Kispert’s coincidentally-timed injuries, then Porzingis could be gone as early as Tuesday night.