The Golden State Warriors had virtually no choice other than to re-sign Kristaps Porzingis this offseason.
You can certainly argue about the annual value on the two-year, $40 million deal he received from Golden State. But with a limited center market and the departure of Quinten Post as a restricted free agent guaranteed by the interest from the Memphis Grizzlies, the Warriors needed a starting-caliber center on their roster. Porzingis, when he's healthy, is certainly that player.
There's also a healthy amount of upside on his deal. Porzingis is the type of rim-protecting, floor-spacing center the Warriors have long been trying to pair with Stephen Curry, and he has enough offensive polish when he's at the top of his game to serve as the team's second option until Jimmy Butler's return at mid-season.
More importantly, though, Golden State was also able to hedge their bets with his contract. While his deal is fully guaranteed for 2026-27, only $3 million of his deal for 2027-28, which includes a player option, is guaranteed. If the Warriors decide to trade him in-season or feel like they need to move on next offseason, that gives them the flexibility to do so.
As cap expert Yossi Gozlan pointed out on a recent episode of his Third Apron podcast, this isn't an isolated phenomenon. Porzingis is simply the most prevalent example of this trend across the NBA this offseason.
Warriors granted themselves flexibility with their Kristaps Porzingis deal, and other teams are following suit
Gozlan specifically cites the Los Angeles Clipper's Bradley Beal contract as the latest example. After spending months on the open market, Beal finally returned to the Clippers on a deal above the veteran minimum—which is a huge win for a player coming off a major injury. Beal's deal, on the surface, is a two-year, $13.2 million contract with a player option.
But only $3.3 million of the second year of that deal is guaranteed, freeing up the Clippers to move off Beal mid-season if they see a market for him or to potentially waive him next offseason if they want to prioritize their young talent.
The same goes for the Atlanta Hawks' decision to fully guarantee Buddy Hield's contract for 2026-27. After falling out of the rotation upon his trade to Atlanta, it was unclear if the Hawks were going to bring the sharpshooter back this offseason. But they have flexibility built into his deal—but the final year, with a player option, is non-guaranteed.
There's a clear throughline here. All of these players are potentially high-upside swings, but they carry a significant degree of risk. Porzingis hasn't been fully healthy in years. Beal can be a reliable lead guard in certain situations, but his health leaves plenty of room for uncertainty. If Hield isn't consistently hitting his 3-point shots, he's essentially unplayable.
As teams continue to find ways to maximize their flexibility under the new CBA, the sort of move the Warriors made with Porzingis isn't unprecedented. But based on the other contracts signed with this sort of structure this offseason, it seems as though Golden State may have made a very smart move with the way they've set up Porzingis' future with the organization.
Add us as a preferred source on Google