In the immediate aftermath of the Golden State Warriors bombshell trade for Kristaps Porzingis on Wednesday night, many fans questioned whether the veteran center would even suit up for the franchise this season, such has been his injury and health concerns in recent times.
However, Porzingis' debut with his new team could come sooner than anyone expected, with the 30-year-old potentially set to be available for Golden State's meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.
Kristaps Porzingis could debut for Warriors on Saturday
Porzingis hasn't appeared in a game since January 7 against the New Orleans Pelicans, but according to ESPN's Anthony Slater, the Warriors believe their newest acquisition is healthy and should be able to play right away.
"They think he (Porzingis) might be healthy as early as Saturday. They heard he's basically cleared to play," Slater said during an appearance on Thursday's episode of NBA Today.
Warriors need to get Kristaps Porzingis in the building -- and through the Rick Celebrini clearance protocol -- but internal expectation is he should be ready to make his GSW debut in the near future, maybe as early as Saturday night at the Lakers. pic.twitter.com/fNGX33T1q4
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 5, 2026
The 7'2" big man had missed 12-straight games due to achilles tendinitis, but had actually been listed to return for the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday against the Miami Heat, only to be a late out due to illness. Was that illness anything to do with the Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome that Porzingis was diagnosed while with the Boston Celtics last season, or did the Hawks deliberately keep him out knowing a trade was a strong possibility?
Either way, news that Porzingis could debut for Golden State in the coming days is positive, especially when many fans have lamented the acquisition not because of the 10-year veteran's ability on the floor, but because of his lengthy injury history.
Porzingis has played more than 57 games just once since his second year in the league in 2016-17, and only appeared in 17 games for the Hawks after being acquired from the Boston Celtics during the offseason.
He was still a productive presence in those appearances, averaging 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 blocks on 45.7% shooting from the floor and 36% from 3-point range. Porzingis posted those numbers while averaging less than 25 minutes per game, and it will be interesting to see what kind of minutes restriction he's on upon his arrival to the Warriors.
Will Porzingis immediately take the starting center role from championship teammate Al Horford? That seems like a fait accompli if he's healthy enough, particularly given the Warriors desperately need a jolt of offense following Jimmy Butler's season-ending knee injury.