Many fans have been left underwhelmed and frustrated by the activity of the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline, having moved Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks for the expiring contract of Kristaps Porzingis.
Was this truly a complete salary dump though? We won't know the full answer to that until Porzingis hits free agency in the offseason, and whether or not the Warriors can bring back the veteran big man on a far more team-friendly contract.
Warriors may try to retain Kristaps Porzingis beyond this season
Of course, a longer term union between player and franchise will be dependant on how the remainder of this season unfolds. That stems to not only how Porzingis performs on the court, but perhaps just as importantly, the relationship between he and the medical staff after so many injury concerns across the course of his career.
Right now, given those injury concerns, there's no doubt that Porzingis' $30.7 million salary is an overpay. Yet if he can have a successful close to this campaign and return in free agency on a deal that's perhaps half of what the 30-year-old is making this season, then suddenly it's only a partial salary dump and you've acquired a starting-caliber center who could soon be on a valuable contract.
Not to mention Porzingis would make a lot more sense with Jimmy Butler on the team, albeit the 6x All-Star may not return until around the All-Star break next season as he prepares for surgery on his torn ACL on Monday.
If Porzingis simply walks away in free agency and Golden State don't parlay their greater flexibility into something valuable, then suddenly this trade looks even more disastrous than what it already does in the 36 hours since the move was first reported.
The good news for the Warriors is that because he's on an expiring contract, there should be no shortage of motivation for Porzingis to get back on the floor and contribute to a team who, while not a realistic contender anymore, has won too many games to this point to consider tanking. Given many below them in the Western Conference became sellers at the trade deadline, Golden State should still make the playoffs even with Butler on the sidelines.
Porzingis certainly isn't getting another $30 million per year deal in free agency, but what he does over the remainder of the season will dictate what kind of contract he'll get, and whether he remains with the Warriors beyond this season.