Golden State Warriors won’t be bringing back key championship member

Any thought of a potential reunion between the Golden State Warriors and Otto Porter Jr. has to be parked for the time being, with the 29-year-old forward opting in to the second-year of his contract with the Toronto Raptors, according to the Athletic’s Shams Charania on Tuesday.

Having been a critical member of the Warriors’ 2022 championship team, Porter benefit from his impressive season by signing a two-year, $12.3 million deal with the Raptors, a decision also inspired by familial ties to Canada.

After an injury-ravaged season, former Golden State Warriors’ forward Otto Porter Jr. has unsurprisingly decided to remain with the Toronto Raptors.

The Warriors needed to carefully manage Porter throughout the entirety of last regular season and playoffs. They did it effectively as he played in 82 of Golden State’s 102 total games on the road to the title.

However, that hasn’t transferred through to his time in Toronto, with Porter facing more injury havoc that’s plagued his career over recent years. He underwent season-ending foot surgery in early January after just eight games in his first year with the Raptors.

Though his injury curse may have occurred at the Warriors anyway, Porter’s just the type of player Golden State have missed during a turbulent 2022-23 season. His influence on last year’s championship often goes under the radar, having started in the final three triumphant wins to close the NBA Finals.

Porter’s combination of size, shooting and rebounding ability was an invaluable skill set the Warriors have been unable to replace this season. He averaged 8.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and shot 37% from three in 22.2 minutes per game last season.

Although Porter may not be available for the Warriors to bring back in free agency, and they may not have wanted him anyway given the injury issues, strengthening their forward mix should be a priority during the offseason.