Kristaps Porzingis
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The Golden State Warriors acquired Kristaps Porzingis from the Atlanta Hawks.
The Golden State Warriors acquired Kristaps Porzingis from the Atlanta Hawks before the trade deadline. Porzingis is currently out with an injury, but the Warriors expect him to play sooner rather than later.
Al Horford will be welcoming his former Boston Celtics teammate with open arms. He told reporters after Golden State’s 101-97 win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday that he’s so happy to have a chance to play with Porzingis again.
“It was special, it was just really fun,” Horford said. “We all know everything he can do. He can shoot the three, can post up, draw fouls, kind of play the midrange offensively. He’s just very potent. Defensively, protects the rim. I’m just looking forward for him to be here and help us, because I feel like he’ll be a big help for us.”
Horford and Porzingis were teammates for two seasons in Boston from 2023 to 2025. They helped the Celtics win the 2024 NBA championship. They both left the team in the offseason, with Horford signing with the Warriors and Porzingis getting traded to the Hawks.
Porzingis’ Warriors Debut
Kristaps Porzingis hasn’t played since January 7 against the New Orleans Pelicans. Porzingis has been dealing with left Achilles tendinitis, though the Golden State Warriors are confident that he’ll get cleared.
Porzingis has also been slowed down by his illness, called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. He has only played in 17 games this season because of both issues, but he’s averaging 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 blocks.
NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson reported that Porzingis hasn’t met his new teammates yet. He’ll be meeting up with the Warriors in Los Angeles on Saturday ahead of their matchup against the Lakers.
Johnson added that there’s a slight chance for the one-time NBA champion to make his debut there, but it appears unlikely at this point.
Why Did Golden State Go For Porzingis?
The Warriors were one of the teams linked to Giannis Antetokounmpo up until the trade deadline. However, the Warriors pivoted to Kristaps Porzingis, trading Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks.
According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, the Warriors have had their eyes on Porzingis since last season. Since the Bucks made it clear they are keeping The Greek Freak this season, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the rest of the Warriors front office pulled the trigger on Porzingis.
“They didn’t get Giannis, but Porzingis is a guy they’ve targeted since the Boston days as a stretch center that can rim protect next to Draymond Green that they think can help,” Slater said. “They think he might be as healthy as early as Saturday.”
Slater further added an update on Porzingis’ availability: “They heard he’s basically cleared to play, so they’re gonna try to kind of go for it to a small degree this year, and then they held their draft ammo for this summer.”
Slater added that despite not acquiring Antetokounmpo at the trade deadline, the Warriors are reportedly going after him again this summer. Due to Porzingis’ contract expiring, the franchise could acquire the two-time MVP without needing to match salaries.