The Golden State Warriors added a 7-foot-2 unicorn and former New York Knicks All-Star to their roster before the Feb. 5 deadline to assist Stephen Curry.
While the 30-year-old big man is expected to make a significant impact with the Dubs down the stretch of the 2025-26 season, the San Francisco Standard’s Danny Emerman believes there's a chance he won't compete with the organization next year.
“The Warriors could look to sign-and-trade him (Kristaps Porzingis) in the offseason as part of a bigger deal," Emerman wrote on Feb. 7. "Without (Jonathan) Kuminga, they lack the type of meaty, mid-sized salaries required for matching salaries to complete big trades.”
“In this route, the Warriors would be able to aggregate his sign-and-trade salary, too. The other option would be for the Warriors to let Porzingis walk, shaving $30 million off their books. That wouldn’t make them a cap space team, but it would likely get them out of the luxury tax.”
If the Warriors are presented with an opportunity to include Porzingis in a deal for Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, don’t expect the seven-time NBA champions to look the other way.
Antetokounmpo is the asset the Warriors were hoping to strike gold with during the trade season. Despite growing rumors that the Dubs were in good shape to land the two-time MVP, Golden State was unable to complete a blockbuster deal.
That said, the Warriors are set to give it another try in the summer, which could be bad news for Porzingis.
Letting Porzingis walk seems like an unlikely option. However, if the Warriors don’t feel comfortable moving forward with an injury-prone center, they could consider the possibility during free agency.
It’ll be interesting to see how Golden State manages the Porzingis situation this upcoming offseason.
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