The Golden State Warriors traded for a former NBA champion before the deadline, just not the one fans hoped they'd get. Milwaukee wasn't serious about trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, so Golden State pivoted to Kristaps Porziņġis instead. He made his debut after the All-Star break, but after playing in only one game, KP is sidelined once again.
He missed Sunday's thrilling win over Denver due to illness. Porziņġis missed significant time over the past year and a half in Boston and Atlanta because of what was originally labeled a mystery illness, but has since been revealed as Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).
The Warriors didn't say KP was out due to POTS (but that could be the reason why), and ESPN's Anthony Slater referred to it as a "general illness."
Kristaps Porzingis is now out with a general illness this afternoon for Warriors vs Nuggets. Played 17 minutes in debut, practiced last couple days and plan had been to slightly bump his minutes
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 22, 2026
Fans hope Porziņġis will be able to play again on Tuesday when Golden State travels to New Orleans. The Pelicans are the second-worst team in the West, but the Warriors have to approach every game with the same importance, as they're three games ahead of the No. 10 Clippers. Finishing the season out of play-in territory would be disastrous, so they need KP, especially with Steph Curry out.
Warriors are learning they can't rely on Kristaps Porziņġis
The fans who were against trading for Porziņġis likely felt that way because of his health, as he played only 17 games for the Hawks in the first half of the season. Atlanta traded for the center over the offseason, hoping it'd get a lot more from him than it did, even after he played only 42 games the season before, his last in Boston.
Golden State acquired KP, counting on him to help the Warriors make some kind of run with Curry, which was already a long shot, even if he were already healthy (and could stay that way). The Warriors clearly weren't too concerned about the fact that it had been over a month since Porziņġis last played, as he missed time due to Achilles tendinitis.
Fans got a glimpse of how Porziņġis can make an impact on their team, even in limited minutes (17) in his Golden State debut. The optimism that they had from that game, even though it was a loss, was wiped away when they learned he'd miss Sunday's contest.
The 30-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, so there is a real possibility that the Warriors traded for a short-term rental, one who may not be available enough to even help them make it to the play-in tournament.
Hopefully, this doesn't prove to be the case, but it's looking like this is a trade the front office will regret.