The Golden State Warriors can now negotiate with their own free agents, including Kristaps Porziņġis. As Anthony Slater of ESPN wrote on Wednesday, the team wants to bring the center back, and they have a preferred route for making that happen:
The Warriors, team sources said, want to bring back Porzingis but prefer it to be on a short-term deal at a reduced rate from the $30.7 million he played for last season. There is growing momentum toward a deal to bring Porzingis back, league sources said.
Mike Dunleavy said in mid-May that the Warriors would "love" to have KP and Al Horford back, but the latter has a $5.9 million player option to decide on by June 29. Porziņġis will be an unrestricted free agent, and Dunleavy mentioned that the team would have conversations with him about returning when that time came.
It's here now, and Golden State's interest hasn't changed. Dunleavy said he believes that Porziņġis can have a healthier, more productive season in 2026-27. The center hasn't hit the 60-game mark in a season since 2022-23, when he played 23 games with the Wizards. He played a combined 32 games this past season, 17 with the Hawks and 15 with the Warriors.
Warriors want to bring Kristaps Porzingis back
The Warriors' desire to sign KP to a short-term deal at a reduced rate makes sense, and not just because of their finances. His struggles to stay on the court have lowered his value. With the injuries that Golden State is already dealing with, it has even more reason to proceed with caution.
They believe in Porziņġis' ability to raise their level of play on both ends, as they should. It was only two years ago when he helped the Celtics win a championship, a direction the Warriors would love to go in again, but it doesn't seem like they're no longer willing to sacrifice their future to get there. Re-signing KP wouldn't do that, as long as it's to a reasonable deal.
It will be up to Porziņġis whether that's something he's interested in, or if he wants to go elsewhere, but based on what Slater reported about the "growing momentum," it seems he is on the same page. The center had only good things to say about the organization after they traded for him in February, specifically about its medical team.
By no means is Porziņġis guaranteed to still be in San Francisco by the time next season rolls around, but there is more reason now to believe that will be the case. And if so, hopefully, he won't face any setbacks.
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