Golden State Warriors fans are eagerly anticipating the debut of recently acquired big man Kristaps Porzingis, but they'll disappointingly have to wait until later in the month after the 30-year-old was ruled out through the All-Star break.
There was a belief that Porzingis could quickly make his Warrior debut in the wake of Wednesday night's blockbuster trade with the Atlanta Hawks, but Steve Kerr has now revealed that the veteran center will sit out the next two games, having already been ruled out from Saturday night's meeting with the Lakers in Los Angeles.
Kristaps Porzingis won't debut until after the All-Star break
Porzingis hasn't played until January 7 due to achilles tendinitis, but he was actually cleared from that injury and was scheduled to play on Tuesday for the Hawks against the Miami Heat, before being a late out due to illness.
Golden State will clearly take a conservative approach with Porzingis given his extensive injury and health history, with Kerr stating before Saturday's game that the franchise will have the Latvian ramp up back home in anticipation of a return following the break.
Steve Kerr said the Warriors plan is to hold Kristaps Porzingis out the next three games, keep him working in San Francisco during the All-Star break and debut him out of the break.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 8, 2026
Porzingis has played more than 57 games just once in the past 10 seasons, including making only 17 appearances with the Hawks this season after only 42 as a member of the Boston Celtics during the 2024-25 campaign.
A member of the Celtics' 2024 championship team, Porzingis' debut with Golden State is now likely to come against his former team when Boston visit the Bay in the first game after the All-Star break on February 19.
That could now be a bigger game than what it was already set to be, with Porzingis' championship teammate Al Horford set to face his former team for the first time after joining the Warriors in free agency.
In more disappointing news for Warrior fans, Kerr also revealed that superstar guard Stephen Curry may also be kept out until after the All-Star break. The 2x MVP will miss his third-straight game when they face the Lakers, having left during the third-quarter of last Friday's loss to the Detroit Pistons and having since been diagnosed with 'runner's knee'.
The Warriors are just trying to keep their head above water before the break as several key players face injury concerns. Between Jimmy Butler's devastating season-ending knee injury, this update on Curry and Porzingis, and Seth Curry's ongoing sciatic injury, Golden State will be hoping for another upset win or two following an impressive comeback win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night.