The Golden State Warriors are going to be in quite a predicament this summer when it comes to Kristaps Porzingis. The big man makes a ton of money, but he will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. On the one hand, it seems likely that the Warriors will simply let him walk. But on the other hand, it could make more sense for Golden State to retain him and use his salary in a trade.
With how pressed up against the first apron Golden State may end up being, it could be better for them to keep Porzingis around. This isn’t supposed to be a great free agency class, and Porzingis may not end up demanding too much money from the Warriors this summer.
As a result, what may seem like a simple choice to let him walk could turn into a bigger dilemma for Golden State.
Warriors may actually want to re-sign Kristaps Porzingis
Porzingis wasn’t terrible when he was on the court for the Warriors this season. But that was the key to it all: “When he was on the court.” His injury issues remain a problem, especially at this stage of his career.
However, Porzingis, when healthy, can obviously provide some value to the Warriors’ lineup, as his floor spacing alongside Stephen Curry would be very valuable, even next season.
That said, Golden State would have to re-sign him on a much more team-friendly deal, as his contract for this season ($30.7 million) is not tenable based on the production and health Porzingis brings to the table.
However, for those who believe the best, and perhaps even obvious, course of action is to simply let Porzingis walk in free agency, take a look at who will be available and what the Warriors could do.
Right now, it looks as though Golden State will have the non-taxpayer MLE ($15.4 million) available, but a quick glance at who will be available, and a Porzingis reunion begins to make a bit more sense.
Here is a quick list of some of the top unrestricted free agents who are going to hit the market this summer: LeBron James, CJ McCollum, Khris Middleton, Tobias Harris, John Collins, Anfernee Simons, Harrison Barnes, Rui Hachimura, Robert Williams, and Coby White.
Of those names, Harris, Hachimura, Williams, and White seem like the only potential targets who could be better than Porzingis. But Harris seems certain to re-sign with the Detroit Pistons, Hachimura will probably end up back in LA, Williams is injury-prone, too, and White would just be adding another guard.
Now, bringing Porzingis back doesn’t seem like such a bad idea, does it?
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