Mar 13, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kristaps Porzingis (7) reacts after being fouled against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
The Golden State Warriors are just hours away from beginning their season, and they are going in with the roster they were barely able to put together. During the summer, Golden State had limited room to sign players, so the team added depth pieces and familiar faces.
One familiar face who signed during free agency was Kristaps Porzingis. The center received a pretty good contract.
“The Golden State Warriors are bringing back veteran center Kristaps Porzingis on a two-year, $40 million contract with a player option on the second season, agent Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management told ESPN's Shams Charania. Porzingis is extending his current contract, allowing him to negotiate and agree with the Warriors before hitting the open market on Tuesday afternoon,” ESPN’s Anthony Slater wrote.
However, over the last couple of weeks, Porzingis has been absent due to a sudden health issue. It turns out that he has an autoimmune disorder, and Golden State is now looking to trade him.
“Golden State has started exploring trade routes for Kristaps Porzingis, who is now seriously contemplating his future in basketball as he deals with recurring symptoms from the autoimmune condition termed as POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), sources tell ESPN,” ESPN’s Shams Charania posted.
Porzingis’ future in the NBA is in danger, as he could decide to call it quits. Despite this, the Warriors are trying to trade him. NBA insider Brett Siegel doesn’t believe anything will get done anytime soon.
“Will have plenty of thoughts and details on what's happening with Kristaps Porzingis and the Warriors tomorrow with Tomer Azarly, as well as throughout the weeks as we get some more info, but my early thoughts on all of this: I would not expect any possible deal for a while,” Siegel wrote.
There are several reasons why a trade might not happen anytime soon, but the most important is that Porzingis doesn’t know what comes next for him. Additionally, no teams are likely to want to trade for a player whose NBA future remains uncertain.
Golden State should be supporting Porzingis during this time, but the team is exploring a trade because that is part of the business side of the NBA. With no clear trade partners available right now, the Warriors seem likely to keep Porzingis on the roster for the foreseeable future.
