Sitting five and a half games outside of the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, the 2025-26 season hasn't quite gone to plan for the Warriors. They've struggled to find health throughout the campaign, with Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Al Horford all facing long-term absences.
They hoped to fortify their roster during the trade deadline, bringing in floor-spacer Kristaps Porzingis from the Hawks. The 30-year-old has dealt with health issues throughout his career. But when he takes to the floor, he tends to produce, playing a starring role during the Celtics' run to the NBA title in 2024.
Porzingis has only taken the floor once since arriving in Golden State. It's unclear quite what is keeping him off the floor, although he's been open about his struggles with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome in the past.
Here's what you need to know about Porzingis' status following his latest absence.
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What illness does Kristaps Porzingis have?
Porzingis revealed that he was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, commonly known as POTS, in 2025. He dealt with the illness throughout his final year with the Celtics and was limited to just 17 appearances with the Hawks this year prior to his trade to Golden State.
Porzingis' illness was the subject of scrutiny from Warriors head coach Steve Kerr following his arrival in the Bay Area. Speaking on local radio on Feb. 27, Kerr stated that Porzingis wasn't actually living with POTS.
"I read about the POTS diagnosis and called the Hawks [general manager] Onsi Saleh," Kerr said. "He's a good friend of mine and I said 'Is this POTS story real?' He said it's actually not POTS. That was some misinformation that was out there."
Kerr walked back his remarks one day later.
"It was a stupid mistake by me to talk about something I'm not qualified to talk about," Kerr said. "Even trying to discuss the diagnosis, that was a mistake. I need to leave that to professionals."
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When will Kristaps Porzingis return?
Porzingis has suited up in just one of his first eight games with the Warriors, reportedly felled by his mysterious illness. Kerr was unable to provide a timetable for his return while speaking with reporters on March 2.
"It's a little mysterious," Kerr said. "We're obviously working with him hoping he can get some clarity and breakthrough and get to a point he’s consistently healthy. That's something the medical staff is working hard on with him."
Porzingis' status for Golden State's upcoming road trip is unclear, with Kerr saying he doesn't know if Porzingis will be on hand in the games to come.
Kristaps Porzingis illness history
Porzingis was diagnosed with POTS in 2025. He enjoyed a strong regular-season campaign with the Celtics that year, producing 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 42 starts.
But in the playoffs, his numbers tailed off precipitously. In 11 postseason appearances, Porzingis averaged 7.7 points on 31.6 percent shooting.
Illness was afoot. Porzingis was summarily diagnosed with POTS, a chronic, incurable condition that attacks the body's autonomic nervous system and create to a number of symptoms, including increased heart rate, dizziness and fatigue.
“It hit me and it hit me like a truck,” Porzingis told The Athletic's Fred Katz. “The breathing wasn’t good. I did everything I could potentially to feel as good as I could, but my engine wasn’t running the way I wanted.”
Porzingis said that his heart rate would shoot up to 130 beats per minute when he stood up, far higher than the rate he would flaunt while lying down. His symptoms depleted his endurance and energy -- both on- and off-the-floor.
“You know how people say, ‘Oh, I’m so fatigued.’ I’ve never used those words. I don’t even like to speak in those terms, but I really was like that,” Porzingis said, according to The Athletic. “At that time, I could just lay on the couch and be a house cat.”
There is presently no known FDA approved medication for treating POTS. Doctors recommend that those living with the illness undergo "treatments and lifestyle changes." Physical activity and dietary changes are viewed as the best way to deal with the disease.
Doctors suggest that those living with POTS increase their intake of salt and water, seek out smaller meals more frequently and eat foods that feature high fiber and complex carbs. Porzingis and his advisors believed he had gotten a handle on his illness ahead of the 2025 season.
Nevertheless, he was held to just 17 games with the Hawks.
Kerr told reporters that the Warriors wouldn't have moved for Porzingis if they were concerned about his health. He went as far as claiming that the issues that sidelined him at the start of his Golden State tenure "had nothing to do" with the malady that plagued him in 2025.
What is POTS?
POTS is a blood circulation disorder marked by two factors, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. They are as follows:
A specific group of symptoms that frequently occur when standing upright
A heart rate increase from horizontal to standing (or as tested on a tilt table) of at least 30 beats per minute in adults, or at least 40 beats per minute in adolescents, measured during the first 10 minutes of standing.
It's a fairly common affliction, impacting between 1 and 3 million people in the United States. Those living with the ailment can suffer vast fluctuations in blood pressure, which can produce extreme fatigue.
The majority of people diagnosed with POTS are women between the ages of 15 and 50. Those who have dealt with lengthy illnesses, physical trauma or autoimmune disorders are more likely to develop the illness.