Opening day of the 2026–27 Golden State Warriors season has already gotten off to a shaky start. ESPN insider Shams Charania reported today that Golden State has begun exploring trades involving Kristaps Porzingis as he seriously considers his basketball future amid his ongoing battle with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome).
This follows Porzingis signing a two-year, $40 million extension with the Warriors in June, with only $3 million guaranteed in the second year. During the preseason, it came as a shock to many Warriors fans that Porzingis would be out indefinitely and away from the team. Following a meeting with director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini, it now appears the Warriors are preparing to pivot away from Porzingis as he contemplates retirement and his future in basketball.
Warriors left scrambling to find another center option
It seems as if you can add this to the growing list of questionable decisions made by the Warriors' front office. Porzingis was a clear fit when healthy last season and looked like a key piece for one final run with this aging roster. Now, the front office must scramble to find help at center again. Committing to Porzingis this offseason also played a role in Golden State's decision not to match the big contract Memphis offered restricted free agent Quinten Post. That leaves the opening-night center rotation as Draymond Green, Al Horford and two-way player Graham Ike.
The hard part of trading Porzingis now is finding a team willing to take on the uncertainty surrounding his future in basketball. One possibility would be a team projected to finish near the bottom of the standings, looking to get off a bad contract in return for draft capital attached to Porzingis. The problem with this? The season just started, so even if teams are projected to be bad, GMs are in no rush to send off players in return for future picks.
A dream scenario for Golden State could be reaching out to Milwaukee about center Myles Turner. A hypothetical trade involving Turner to the Warriors has been discussed for seemingly the last five offseasons. After the blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo trade to Miami, Milwaukee is certainly in a rebuild and even reportedly shopped Turner this past summer. Milwaukee likely wouldn't be enticed by Porzingis alone, which is where Golden State would have to get creative in offering other assets, perhaps Moses Moody, to help make the money work.
It's ultimately another blunder from the Warriors' front office. What was supposed to be a key addition to this aging roster has instead left Golden State searching for answers at center before the season even gets underway. A team once labeled "lightyears" ahead of the competition seems to be falling behind again, asking 38-year-old Stephen Curry to bail them out once more.
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