Kristaps Porzingis, Warriors
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Kristaps Porzingis #8 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts against the Washington Wizards during an Emirates NBA Cup game at Capital One Arena on November 25, 2025 in Washington, DC.
The Golden State Warriors might have traded Jonathan Kuminga for nothing to show for. According to Warriors insider Joe Spadoni, the franchise has serious doubts about re-signing Kristaps Porzingis, whom they acquired in a deal for the Congolese youngster ahead of last month’s NBA trade deadline.
“I’m not touching this with a 10-foot pole in the off-season,” he said of Porzingis on 95.7’s The Game’s “The Morning Roast” on Tuesday.
“And quite frankly, I don’t know why you touched it at the trade deadline. Seriously, what was Mike Dunleavy thinking with this guy?”
Porzingis (illness) has played only one game since becoming a Warrior. The Latvian sharpshooting big man is an unrestricted free agent this season, but isn’t expected to command much interest from teams due to his recent injury and illness history.
Porzingis: ‘Mysterious’ Illness
The 2024 NBA champion has played only four games since the start of the new calendar year. After missing 13 straight games for the Atlanta Hawks between Jan. 9 and Jan. 31 with Achilles tendinitis, he sat out a few more games with an undisclosed illness. When he arrived in Golden State, he was initially listed out with the same Achilles issue that bothered him earlier in the season. However, all that changed last week when he was listed out with an illness after playing just one game with the Warriors.
“It’s a little mysterious,” Kerr said on Monday.
“Obviously working with him and hoping that he can get some clarity, and he can kind of break through and get to a point where he’s consistently healthy. But that’s something that the medical staff is working hard on with him, and I’m not gonna even posit any theory, any medical theories anymore.”
“It’s a medical issue way beyond my capabilities of explaining anything,” Kerr said. “So yeah, he’s sick, he won’t play and we’ll keep monitoring him.”
Warriors Face Bleak Future
Porzingis had previously revealed that he was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). However, Kerr told the media last week that Hawks GM Onsi Saleh denied that the Latvian was dealing with the condition. The Warriors head coach on Monday walked back his earlier comments, while apologizing for his “stupid mistake” to address Porzingis’ illness publicly.
“It was a stupid mistake by me to talk about something that I’m not qualified to talk about, so I regret it,” Kerr said “Even trying to discuss the diagnosis, that was my mistake and I need to leave that to the professionals.”
The Warriors reportedly knew the risks involved when they acquired Porzingis, and wanted a three-month trial period with the 7-footer before deciding on his future. According to insider Marc Stein, the Warriors had a three-step plan in place that would end favorably with Porzingis accepting a team-friendly deal this offseason.
“Get Porziņģis in their program … hope he clicks with the team and its medical staff and then try to convince him to re-sign in the offseason,” Stein reported on Monday.
Those plans may have already been aborted.