On the latest edition of the Warriors Stock Report, ESPN's Tim Bontemps said the stock is down on how Kristaps Porziņģis' time in Golden State has gone thus far. What he went on to say about KP was the unfortunate truth, for both the center and the Warriors.
"I just want him to feel good and be healthy and able to play, especially in a contract year. I think at this point, you're in the same boat if you're the Warriors, you were if you're the Hawks. You just have to assume he's not going to be available, and you'll be pleasantly surprised if he's able to play."
When Golden State traded Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to Atlanta for Porziņģis, it did so thinking that the latter would be able to play after spending the past few weeks recovering from Achilles tendinitis. He had been cleared to return from that injury, and it seemed like he was on the right track. The keyword there is seemed.
Warriors' trade for Kristaps Porzingis isn't playing out how they hoped
Fans got their hopes up after hearing how well KP looked in practice and how highly he spoke of the medical staff. He had 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting in 17 minutes in his Warriors debut, which only heightened excitement about who he could be in Golden State.
Heading into this past Sunday's game against Denver, everyone was looking forward to seeing how Porziņģis would fare against a top team in the West. He didn't make it that far, as he was ruled out a few hours before tip-off due to illness. He didn't play in the two games after that, either.
As Slater said, the Warriors have already gotten the full Porziņģis experience, and he's only been in town for a few weeks, including the All-Star break.
Porziņģis will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and as Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported earlier this week, Golden State hopes to re-sign him on more of a team-friendly contract (subscription required) than the one he is on now. It's looking more and more like the Warriors will have the chance to do that, although this isn't the situation they wanted to be in.
If you have to operate as if it's a pleasant surprise that the player you traded for is available to play, that's probably a sign that it wasn't the right move. Maybe that will change, and Porziņģis will reach a place where he's able to consistently be on the court to end the regular season. You could end up getting burned if you believe that, though.