Warriors begin exploring Kristaps Porzingis trades with his playing future in doubt

The Warriors have begun exploring the possibility of trading sidelined center Kristaps Porzingis, Shams Charania reports, one week after announcing he would be out indefinitely with his autoimmune condition.

Porzingis, who is dealing with recurring symptoms of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, is seriously contemplating his future in basketball. Golden State re-signed him this summer to be its starting center, but he missed all of training camp and the preseason, and the team said this week it does not anticipate him being around in the immediate future.

Porzingis is eligible to be traded despite signing a two-year, $40 million extension this summer, because the deal did not exceed the extend-and-trade limits, Bobby Marks notes. He is earning $20 million guaranteed in 2026-27, while his player option for 2027-28 is only partially guaranteed for $3 million, making his contract close to an expiring deal. Operating above the first tax apron, the Warriors cannot take back more salary in a trade than they send out.

The team addressed the reports in a statement: “We are not going to comment on trade speculation or reports regarding his health-related matter or future.”