Needless to say, the Golden State Warriors need their roster at full health entering the 2026-27 season. They're already down two potential starters in Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody until at least mid-season, and the rest of their roster is laden with veterans that will need to miss at least some time over the course of the campaign.
The last thing they needed, then, was a negative injury update before the start of training camp. But they got exactly that as soon as Media Day opened. Per Anthony Slater at ESPN, Kristaps Porzingis is "out indefinitely" with an unspecified health issue. He won't be making the trip to training camp with the team, which presumably leaves his status for the start of the season in serious doubt.
The Warriors are banking on Porzingis to play a full complement of games this season, both to help anchor the center rotation alongside Al Horford and to maximize his value as a trade asset at the deadline and potentially next offseason.
Porzingis missing training camp is, frankly, a disastrous outcome for this Warriors roster.
The Warriors need Kristaps Porzingis—and this latest update doesn't bode well
The Warriors knew when they made the move for Porzingis, sending off Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield's contracts to the Atlanta Hawks, that there was some serious risk involved. Porzingis hasn't played in more than 65 games in over a decade, and his lingering chronic health issues have severely limited him over the past couple of seasons.
He wasn't fully healthy during his short stint with Golden State in 2025-26, but the training staff seemed confident they had a plan to keep him healthy. He also looked relatively solid when he did play, averaging 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while knocking down 43.3% of his attempts from the field.
The assumption was that, with improved health and a regained command over his perimeter shot, Porzingis could function as the rim protecting, floor spacing center the Warriors have long sought to pair with Stephen Curry. At the very least, he could operate as a temporary second offensive option while Golden State awaited the returns of Butler and Moody.
If Porzingis needs to miss extensive time, though, the Warriors are in trouble. Al Horford played in just 45 games last season as he dealt with various ailments, and his offensive production took a major hit even when he was available. While both Charles Bassey and Graham Ike are solid rotational options, neither has the offensive skill set to be a true option for the Warriors with major minutes over the course of the season.
Any hope the Warriors have of staying afloat in the race for the Play-In Tournament across the first half of the season rests on Porzingis' ability to help anchor the rotation from the center position. If he's set to miss time at the start of the season, Golden State's outlook immediately gets a whole lot worse.
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