NBA: Playoffs-Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns
NBA: Playoffs-Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns
A new report explains why the Golden State Warriors made the worst move of this offseason.
After falling short of reaching the playoffs for a second time in the season, there was a lot of talk that the Warriors would be aggressive to improve their fast-aging roster this summer. Yet, while they were in on or linked to trades for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Trey Murphy, and seemed like a favorite in free agency for LeBron James, the Warriors made no major additions this offseason.
However, that doesn’t mean they were quiet this summer. One they did make was giving 10-year veteran Kristaps Porzingis a new two-year deal worth $40 million after trading for him before last season’s deadline. The hope was that a healthy version of the one-time All-Star could give them the difference-making center they lacked.
Well, the mystery illness that has limited him to 74 games in the last two seasons remains. He is not playing with the team in preseason, and there is no clear timeline for when he will be back. It was a head-scratching decision that Heavy’s Sean Deveney perfectly summed up on Saturday.
“Why did the Warriors pay Porzingis $23 million guaranteed (two years, $40 million, but only $3 million guaranteed for next year) if they knew they did not have any answers for this?” Deveney wrote. “Porzingis finished the season with the Warriors. Did no one on their celebrated medical staff raise a red flag on signing him again?”
The trade market for expiring contracts has ‘dried up’
NBA: Playoffs-Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns
Apr 17, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis (7) against the Phoenix Suns during the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
However, why it is such a bad move goes far deeper than his questionable availability this season. The hope in a deal with lower guarantees in year two is that it would make him a tradable asset later this season. But that may no longer be the case.
The NBA insider explained that “rule changes to prevent tanking have dried up that market [for expiring contracts], and moving a guy with Porzingis’ availability issues for someone useful will be that much harder.”
Deveney suggested teams like the Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Orlando Magic could be potential landing spots, but if they aren’t interested, Golden State would be stuck with the big man and his mysterious issues.