Once upon a time, Golden State Warriors big man Kristaps Porzingis was billed as a unicorn—a big man who could do damage inside, play equally well on the perimeter, and also dominate on the other side of the ball. Recently, however, “health risk” might be the best way to describe the 7-foot-2 Latvian.
Yet again, Porzingis is facing a health issue, and it has sidelined him for the first two weeks of the preseason already. He is supposedly set to return to the Warriors’ practice on Wednesday for a meeting with Golden State’s lead medical decision-maker, Rick Celebrini, as questions continue to linger about his availability for the preseason and the rest of the 2026–27 NBA season.
Porzingis and His Mysterious Health Issues
This isn’t the first time Porzingis has dealt with a health issue. Two seasons ago, while playing for the Boston Celtics, he was sidelined by an upper respiratory virus for much of the 2024–25 NBA season. It turns out that illness was severe enough—and complicated enough, perhaps—that the 31-year-old continues to feel its lingering impact and miss games because of it.
It is unclear if Porzingis’s current health issue is again related to that upper respiratory condition he contracted two years ago. But, according to the Warriors, their big man has been consistently in touch with Celebrini and the front office during his prolonged absence. The latter, in turn, has reportedly advised Steve Kerr and the rest of the coaching staff to focus on the season rather than be sidetracked by the Porzingis situation.
A Potential Problem in Golden State
To be fair to Kerr, it might be near impossible not to think about Porzingis vis-à-vis the Warriors’ season. After all, the 12-year veteran is arguably Golden State’s top big man and the team’s only 7-footer. Without him, the Warriors’ frontline shrinks significantly while also losing the big man’s unicorn playmaking and defensive presence. Last season, in 15 games for Golden State after getting traded from the Atlanta Hawks, he averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 23.7 minutes.
In a vacuum, that’s already a lot to lose. Factor in Porzingis’s $20 million-a-season salary, and Golden State could be staring at the prospect of paying big money to someone whose availability will routinely be a big question mark. Perhaps the saving grace in the situation is how the Latvian’s contract is structured: only $3 million is guaranteed, and the Warriors can trade him at any point in the season. However, with the big man’s health-related availability issues, it might be difficult for Golden State to find a team willing to take on the journeyman center.
For now, the Warriors are essentially in wait-and-see mode.
