What's up with Kristaps Porzingis? It seems like even the Warriors don't know
· Yahoo Sports
There remain no sightings of The Unicorn around the Chase Center.
Where, exactly, is Kristaps Porzingis? Is he in San Francisco? The wider Bay Area, even? All questions, to be sure, that any NBA head coach would like to have answers to, especially for a player who has been guaranteed $20 million this season. And perhaps Steve Kerr does know.
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But publicly, at least, Golden State's head coach seems to still be as in the dark as the wider NBA world when it comes to the Warriors' 7-foot-2 center.
"He's not here, today – I have not," Kerr said, asked Thursday if he had any better sense on Porzingis's physical location. "We've obviously been here, in Hawaii, in Portland, so we just came in and we worked out the vets (today) … I'll reach out to KP today and check in with him."
In late September, general manager Mike Dunleavyrelayed news that Porzingis would be out indefinitely with a health issue; a day later, Kerr said he'd characterize Porzingis as "day-to-day." Nine days later, though, several in the organization – including Kerr – appear to have little better handle on Porzingis's health, a question mark that has plagued the player and the team since trading Jonathan Kuminga for him in February.
Kerr was asked after Thursday's practice: do the Warriors have an exact sense behind the scenes of what Porzingis is dealing with?
"No," Kerr said, simply.
Center Al Horford, who has gotten to know Porzingis quite well after playing with him for two previous seasons in Boston, said he hasn't gotten a chance to talk with Porzingis yet.
"We just don't have much information," Horford said.
Kerr said he'd texted some with Porzingis, and said he'd reach out to him later Thursday to check in.
"Seems to be doing okay, and – but we haven't gotten into depth," Kerr said.
The Warriors made a substantial investment into Porzingis on the expectation they could better manage his health struggles. In late February, Kerr retracted a previous comment he'd made saying he was told by Atlanta that Porzingis didn't have postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), despite a 2025 story by The Athletic in which Porzingis revealed such a diagnosis.
Porzingis averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in limited time with Golden State down the stretch in 2025-26, but he missed a handful of games with an illness that Kerr called "a little mysterious" last year. The Warriors re-upped with Porzingis on a two-year deal this offseason worth a total of $40 million, with a player option for 2027-28.
Notably, though, if he opted into the second year of his deal, Porzingis's full $20.5 million salary for 2027-28 would only turn fully guaranteed on July 7, according to Spotrac.
"He's had a tough few years, right?" Dunleavy told reporters in August of Porzingis, who has played 59.1% of all possible regular-season games in his 11-year career. "So, I think we looked at it extensively, what's going on, how we can help him, how we can be better. And I just think the things that we've looked at and discussed and worked through, lean in the direction of him having a healthier year.
"And so, for that, we really wanted to bring him back," Dunleavy continued. "He adds a lot to our team. He's a unique player."
Indeed, the Warriors re-upped with Porzingis to make an offensive shift, starting possessions with five players spaced out along the perimeter. Porzingis, a career 36.4% shooter from deep on 5.2 attempts per game, could be a real threat in that system. And Kerr said he didn't think the learning curve of Golden State's new approach would be "steep" for Porzingis, noting the center ran through similar concepts in 2023-24 and 2024-25 with Boston.
If Porzingis's absence drags on, though, Golden State faces a math problem that would make it near-impossible for any NBA team to seriously contend. The Warriors have a total of $89.3 million tied up in guaranteed money between Porzingis, Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody Golden State is hopeful Butler and Moody return sometime around February, as Kerr indicated Thursday. That's nevertheless over 54% of their available baseline cap room used on players who are all currently facing indefinite absences.
The Warriors know, of course, they need Porzingis, to reach their maximum potential in 2026-27. But as one source in the building told Golden State, there's no immediate sense of dread among the Warriors' staff. There is simply no time.
"It's that, ‘Okay, been here before with him,'" the source said. "‘Let's carry on.'"
With Porzingis absent, the Warriors' current set of options are limited. Golden State put the 40-year-old Horford through an increase in conditioning work this offseason, but he'll likely sit for a variety of back-to-backs and high-intensity stretches in this schedule. The Warriors' offense hummed in a small-ball look with Draymond Green at center against the Lakers Tuesday, but can't afford to have Green bang against 7-foot-centers the entire regular season.
That places a high degree of importance – likely higher than the Warriors would like – on 25-year-old reserve center Charles Bassey and two-way rookie Graham Ike, both of whom have impressed staff behind the scenes during the preseason.
"I can tell you, I really like both Graham and Charles," Kerr said.
Another option, too, is having rookie Yaxel Lendeborg – listed at 6-foot-9 – play center for long stretches, a gamble that will hinge on growth in Lendeborg's defensive IQ but could present a challenge for slow-footed opposing centers.
"I think it's going to be something that we'll really be able to take advantage of, with him being out there and playing with a group that plays faster, that's just running a lot more," Horford said, on Lendeborg's ability to play center.
The train doesn't stop moving, as Kerr said Thursday.
Golden State, at the moment, is just missing another well-paid key contributor.
"Preseason's here, the games are coming, and the challenges are in front of us," Horford said. "And with our sport, as with any sport, the next guy has to step up. And we'll have to do a little more, and that's kinda where we're at."
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