Kristaps Porzingis, Warriors, Kristaps Porzingis return date
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Kristaps Porzingis #8 of the Atlanta Hawks is defended by Tim Hardaway Jr. #10 of the Denver Nuggets during the first quarter at State Farm Arena on December 05, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.
New Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis could make his debut as early as Saturday’s clash against the Los Angeles Lakers, unless he suffers a setback in his return from an illness or during his physicals.
According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, the Warriors expect Porzingis to “return soon” from his illness and expect him to be “productive” in the second half of the season. The good news is that Porzingis is no longer dealing with the Achilles tendinitis that caused him to miss 13 straight games from Jan. 9 to Jan. 31. He sat out his last game as a Hawk against the Miami Heat on Tuesday with an illness, which isn’t believed to be severe.
“The Warriors hope to get Porzingis back healthy and productive for the stretch run,” Slater reported on Wednesday. “He hasn’t played since Jan. 7, but team sources said they anticipate Porzingis will make his return soon after joining Golden State. The Warriors are 27-24 and currently eighth in the Western Conference.”
Warriors Acquire Kristaps Porzingis
The Warriors play four more games before the All-Star break — versus the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs — before the midseason break. The game against the Suns appears to be a wash, with the Warriors injury report also listing Stephen Curry as out with his lingering knee issues.
If Porzingis isn’t cleared within the next four games, his debut could be pushed to the Feb. 19 contest against his former team, the Boston Celtics, the first game after the All-Star break.
The Latvian big man is averaging a career-low in minutes per game (24.3) and rebounds (5.1) and his fewest points (17.1) since his rookie season. There have also been severe concerns about his durability. After missing 77 of his 183 games as a member of the Boston Celtics, Porzingis appeared in only 17 of the Hawks‘ 52 games this season.
Porzingis Injury Concerns
Besides a plethora of lower extremity injuries, Porzingis dealt with a recurring diagnosis of POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) during his final season with the Celtics, a trend that unfortunately followed him to Atlanta.
Several analysts and former players have questioned Golden State’s decision to trade for an injury-prone big man, given the aging roster marred by injuries.
“I forgot he still played basketball to be honest with you. I’m serious. I hadn’t heard his name till tonight. He does absolutely nothing for me,” ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins said of the Warriors landing Porzingis.
The Warriors were reportedly forced to pivot to a Porzingis trade when they realized that the Milwaukee Bucks weren’t serious about trading Giannis Antetokounmpo by Thursday’s NBA deadline.
“The Warriors’ pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo after a week is over,” Charania said Wednesday night on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
“They have clearly moved on with these moves. My understanding is the Warriors made a pick-heavy offer last week and continued to have conversations going into this week with the Bucks, but over the last 24 hours, they came to the belief that the Bucks were not going to move their two-time MVP at this trade deadline.”