The Golden State Warriors took a risk signing Kristaps Porzingis to a two-year, $40 million contract extension prior to free agency, albeit they reduced that gamble by guaranteeing only $3 million in the second year.
The downside is obvious given Porzingis' much discussed injury and health history, but bringing back the veteran center also comes with a hidden All-Star upside that absolutely no one is discussing.
Kristaps Porzingis could be an All-Star for the Warriors this season
Many will already be shouting at their screens proclaiming that we need to see Porzingis on the floor consistently first before any discussion of an All-Star appearance. That's absolutely fair, yet stranger things have happened than the Latvian turning things so far around that he's a legitimate All-Star candidate.
While Porzingis has always dealt with availibility issues, there's no questioning his production, particularly offensively, when he's actually on the floor. Even in his brief period after arriving at the Warriors in February, Porzingis averaged over 16 points while on a minutes restriction and despite not shooting the ball well.
The biggest aspect here is Jimmy Butler's injury that will see the six-time All-Star miss most if not all of the pre All-Star break period. Porzingis will undoubtedly be Golden State's second offensive option, giving him the upside of being a 22-23 point per game scorer which, combined with 7-8 rebounds and over a block per game, could be enough to generate All-Star buzz.
Porzingis has also historically done well in fan voting, including ranking sixth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players in 2024 as a member of the Boston Celtics. The 31-year-old should have no issues generating fan votes on another big market team in the Warriors, and current players and the media could be swayed if the team is better than expected through the first half of the season.
Andrew Wiggins' 2022 All-Star status gives Kristaps Porzingis hope
Rewind to this point five years ago and no one could have envisioned Andrew Wiggins being an All-Star six months later in 2022, let alone a starter on a West team that featured Luka Doncic, Donovan Mitchell, Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker (among others) as reserves.
Porzingis becoming an All-Star next year would be equally surprising, but Wiggins is proof that it's not out of the realms of possibility. That gives Porzingis some hope, and so too does LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard's (likely) exit to the East this summer which weakens the pool of frontcourt players.
All of this is predicated on Porzingis actually remaining healthy which is a significant gamble within itself, but he's talented enough, and his role will be so prominent, that it shouldn't be completely ruled out.
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