Kristaps Porzingis is already dealing with another health concern that's seen him miss training camp in Hawaii, with the veteran Golden State Warriors center leaving himself exposed to trade rumors before the season even gets underway.
One rival executive has already claimed Porzingis is in a similar situation to Jonathan Kuminga 12 months ago, believing the Latvian could be on the move before February's mid-season deadline after the Warriors gave him a tradable contract prior to free agency.
Warriors already facing Kristaps Porzingis rumors before season starts
Golden State extended Porzingis on a two-year, $40 million contract prior to free agency, but only $3 million of his 2027-28 salary is guaranteed, meaning the 31-year-old is effectively an expiring contract for the front office to potentially utilize in a deal.
"I spoke with one rival West executive earlier this week who said that he wouldn't be shocked if Porzingis was moved by the Warriors and he didn't finish the season with them, moved at the trade deadline because he's basically a $20 million contract spot," Siegel said recently on the Clutch Scoops podcast.
The Warriors resisted the possibility of trading Porzingis during the offseason. Because his contract was an extension rather than a completely new deal, he remained trade-eligible from the moment it was signed.
There's no coincidence this trade speculation has arisen after news of Porzingis' latest health issue. There was optimism that the former All-Star would be fully healthy and available entering the season, having participated in Jimmy Butler's minicamp only last week. The latest illness popped up on last Sunday though, ruling Porzingis out of training camp and Sunday's preseason opener against the L.A. Clippers.
Kristaps Porzingis is still in control of his Warriors future
The key aspect here is that Porzingis is still a major piece of Golden State's plans, having only been emphasized further by the fact Al Horford is starting for Steve Kerr in the preseason opener. That proves the Warriors don't want to slide Draymond Green to the five or go with a largely unproven option in Charles Bassey, while they'll be desperate to get Porzingis back so they don't have to start a 40-year-old Horford who will be on a minutes restriction entering his 20th NBA season.
Golden State will want nothing more than to get Porzingis healthy, available and playing well. His value could only rise once Butler returns from injury, with the 7'3" big man theoretically a perfect on-court fit with the six-time All-Star.
The reality is though that if Porzingis continues to face health concerns and can't be consistently available, the Warriors will have little choice but to use his contract, along with possibly other assets, in a trade for a more impactful piece before the deadline.
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