Kristaps Porzingis, Warriors
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Kristaps Porzingis lands in Golden State at the trade deadline to pair with Warriors star Stephen Curry.
The Golden State Warriors entered the NBA trade deadline pushing all their chips toward one of the league’s most ambitious targets: Giannis Antetokounmpo.
They emerged instead with former All-Star Kristaps Porziņģis — a result that fell short of blockbuster expectations but one that still earned the backing of franchise cornerstone Stephen Curry.
“I’m excited with what KP can bring,” Curry told ESPN’s Anthony Slater after Golden State gutted out a 101–97 comeback win in Phoenix without him. “You saw the fight tonight. We’ll learn each other as we go.”
Warriors Pivot After Week-Long Giannis Pursuit
Golden State’s deadline shift came late Wednesday after a week of aggressive talks centered on Antetokounmpo.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Warriors ultimately pivoted after concluding that the Milwaukee Bucks had no intention of moving their two-time MVP during the season.
“The Warriors’ pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo after a week is over,” Charania said on SportsCenter. “They made a pick-heavy offer last week and continued conversations into this week, 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.”
Rather than risk standing pat, Golden State elected to act.
The Warriors sent Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to Atlanta to acquire Porziņģis, choosing immediacy and flexibility over waiting out the market.
Medical Risk Comes With Upside
Porziņģis arrives with significant medical questions.
The 7-foot-3 center missed 13 consecutive games prior to the trade — 12 due to left Achilles tendinitis — and has appeared in just 17 games this season after playing 42 last year. Still, Golden State accepted the risk once the Giannis door closed.
Porziņģis is also on an expiring $30.7 million contract, preserving long-term flexibility and keeping the Warriors positioned for a larger offseason move.
“I’m learning some Latvian,” Curry told Slater. “I’m just hoping that he’s healthy, first and foremost, so that he can do what he can do on the floor. Him and Al won a championship together. Different context, but there’s a familiarity and skill set and size and presence that we’ve been looking for for a while.”
Porziņģis previously won a title alongside Al Horford in Boston, a shared experience Golden State believes can translate quickly.
Warriors Targeted Porziņģis Long Before Deadline
While the timing surprised many around the league, Charania reported the Warriors’ interest in Porziņģis was not sudden.
“They get a high-upside big man if Kristaps Porziņģis can be on the floor,” Charania said. “They’re excited about him. They had targeted him for the last few months.”
Golden State has long searched for size, rim protection, and shooting in its frontcourt — attributes Porziņģis provides when available.
Skepticism From Outside the Bay
Not everyone was convinced.
ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins questioned both the basketball upside and the timing of the move during a Wednesday night appearance on SportsCenter.
“I forgot he still plays basketball — I’m serious,” Perkins said. “I haven’t heard his name until tonight. It does absolutely nothing for me. When you talk about what we’ve been discussing the last two weeks, we were talking about pairing Steph with Giannis. Now all of a sudden, it’s just Kristaps Porziņģis. That don’t move the needle for me.”
Perkins framed the move less as a win-now swing and more as a financial reset.
“This is just a move, probably to free up money and free up cap space to make a bigger move this offseason,” he said.