Porziņģis Is ‘Seriously Contemplating His Basketball Future,’ And The Warriors Are Exploring Trades

Kristaps Porziņģis is away from the Golden State Warriors on an indefinite leave, and ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday that the 31-year-old center is “seriously contemplating his basketball future” — and that “if there is not a breakthrough with his health, with his recovery, the Warriors are certainly bracing for the possibility that he steps away from basketball for good.” No retirement has been announced; the reporting is conditional on his recovery.

The condition has been reported as POTS — postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome — a disorder of the autonomic nervous system. Charania described it as an “autoimmune issue,” his phrasing. The Warriors have not publicly confirmed that the current absence is POTS-related; the team has treated it as a private health matter.

Porziņģis told general manager Mike Dunleavy on the Sunday before training camp that he would take an indefinite leave. He never traveled with the team to its camp in Hawaii. He met Dunleavy and team medical director Dr. Rick Celebrini at Chase Center on October 13 and reportedly has not been back to the facility since. On October 14 the team said he would stay around team activities, and his own social-media posts were optimistic — “getting better and better” — but on October 21 the team walked that back: it declined to comment on the trade speculation or on his health and future, and said it is “not anticipating Kristaps being around the team in the immediate future.” Coach Steve Kerr: “I don’t really have anything to add… We don’t really know.”

Golden State is, per Charania, “already starting to explore trade routes.” The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Nick Friedell report the Warriors contacted Milwaukee about Porziņģis, and that the Bucks are not believed to be interested. His contract makes a trade workable: a two-year, $40 million extension signed in June 2026 pays $20 million this season with only $3 million of the second year’s $20 million guaranteed, and it was structured with no raise between seasons so that he is immediately trade-eligible.

Porziņģis came to Golden State at the February 2026 trade deadline, from Atlanta, in the deal that sent Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga to the Hawks. Atlanta had acquired him from Boston in June 2025. He played 15 games for the Warriors, averaging 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks.

He remains listed as out — “not with team” — for Golden State’s home opener against Memphis on Friday. Neither the team nor Porziņģis has given a timetable, and none is reported here.