When the Golden State Warriors acquired Kristaps Porzingis in February, they envisioned the veteran center still being around when Jimmy Butler returned from his torn ACL this season.
That appeared to remain the plan when Porzingis signed a two-year, $40 million extension prior to free agency, but his exit from the Warriors amid ongoing health battles means we'll never get to see the pairing of he and Butler together.
Kristaps Porzingis exit means we won't see combination with Jimmy Butler
Part of the appeal of Porzingis in February was his fit with the final version of the Golden State roster, one led by Stephen Curry and eventually Butler when he returned. The Warriors only got a small taste of the Curry-Porzingis combination last season, with the two-time MVP missing 27-straight games with his own knee injury before returning just in time for the Play-In Tournament.
The idea of a Curry-Butler-Porzingis trio was sound in theory, and even more so when you add Yaxel Lendeborg to the equation. Can you imagine that quartet and Draymond Green closing games? There would be enough experience, talent and two-way ability to be a genuine playoff threat.
Unfortunately, we'll never see it in reality. We shouldn't be overly surprised either given Porzingis' career trajectory over the past couple years, and the front office knew this was a possibility as they structured the Latvian's contract in a very specific way.
Still, even the version of Porzingis that played 17 games toward the end of last season would have been ideal for Golden State. If a returning and healthy Butler is the final piece to the puzzle in making the Warriors a legitimate playoff team, Porzingis could have been the icing on the cake to make them truly dangerous.
Warriors now searching for Kristaps Porzingis replacement
The front office is now searching for effectively the same type of player. With no interest in trading Butler or Moses Moody, Golden State appear set at the wing/forward positions. With Curry, Brandin Podziemski, De'Anthony Melton and Brandon Williams, they look set at the guard positions.
The Warriors now need to fortify their center rotation, and ideally with a stretch five to complement the limited three-point shooting of Green and Butler. That's what would have made Porzingis such a good fit with the latter, particularly leading the offense in the non-Curry minutes.
It's a real shame that we'll never get to see Butler and Porzingis play together, and even more so now as Golden State ride a seven-game winning streak and look like they could be a sneaky contender in the Western Conference if things break right.
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